RM60mil approved to upgrade Sultan Azlan Shah airport - Star

Nov 7, 2008

IPOH: Work on extending the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport runway and upgrading the terminal building will start next year.

Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said the Cabinet had approved RM60mil for the two projects.

He said the runway could now be extended by 200m from the present 1.8km apart from the airport terminal being upgraded.

This would allow the airport to attract more budget airlines within Asean to fly there, he said.

Currently, only Firefly offers flights from here to Singapore daily.

"Our surveys showed that Perak hold immerse potential as a tourist destination.

"With the extension, we hope other budget airlines will be attracted to use the airport," said Ahmad Husni Saturday.

Speaking to reporters after a ground-breaking ceremony for a market at the Tanah Hitam New Village in Chemor near here, Ahmad Husni, who is also Tambun MP, said work on extending and upgrading the airport would start next year.

On another matter, Ahmad Husni said elected representatives had also been roped in to ensure projects under Budget 2010 were carried out.

"The Yang Berhormats can also write to the Prime Minister or the Deputy Prime Minister if projects in their area are facing problems," he said.

Najib was reported to have asked his ministers to closely monitor projects under Budget 2010.

The Prime Minister wants the 160 projects listed to start according to schedule as this was the commitment given by the Government to the rakyat.