KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 — Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd’s (MAHB) airport maintenance cost will rise by 34 per cent this year, the Transport Ministry said.
To ensure all airports it operates nationwide are well maintained, MAHB’s outgoings for maintenance were RM546 million last year, it said.
It added that MAHB allocated RM19.1 million last year to maintain Sarawak’s airports and airstrips.
“Maintenance allocation increased to RM27.1 million in 2024, which is a 41.9 per cent rise compared with 2023,” the ministry said in Parliament today in response to Senator Pele Peter Tinggom, who said the country’s airports, especially Sarawak’s, must be effectively upgraded, repaired and maintained.
The ministry said MAHB has, up to this year, identified eight airports that need upgrades, including Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Kota Kinabalu International Airport and Kuching International Airport.
The others are Miri Airport; Bario Airfield (Short Take-Off And Landing Airports); Tawau Airport; Penang International Airport, and Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.
Upgrading costs will be financed by the government via a development allocation, or by MAHB on a competitive basis.
MOT said the financing methodology will be implemented via an investment recovery model, which will be discussed with MAHB, subject to government approval.
The government continues to grant MAHB the right to operate, manage, maintain and develop 39 airports and airstrips in Malaysia until 2069 via two operational agreements signed on March 18 this year.
MOT said the Malaysian Aviation Commission implemented a service quality framework in stages from September 2018 to ensure airport infrastructure facilities and services nationwide, including those in Sarawak, are safe and well maintained, with financial penalties for operators who fail to comply.
— Bernama
