BY ALEXANDRA LORNA & NATASHA JEE
KUCHING: The proposed new Kuching international airport will be built in Tanjung Embang, Asajaya.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said initially, Matang was considered as a potential site.
“If the flights were to enter another country’s airspace, we would need to request permission and possibly pay for the use of their airspace.
“In Matang, flights would have to pass through Indonesian airspace above Kalimantan. Thus, the airport will be built at Tanjung Embang, where flights from Kuala Lumpur will descend within Malaysia’s airspace,” he said.
He said this during the PBB Southern Zone Branch Delegates Meeting at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here today (Jan 19).
Abang Johari added that the new airport is expected to benefit areas such as Samarahan, Serian, and the Greater Kuching Coordinated Development Area (GKCDA).
With a larger airport, he said tourists can easily visit Sarawak’s attractions.
“As I mentioned previously, the new airport would be inspired by the airport in Doha, Qatar,” he said.
He also said the government has formed a committee, chaired by the Sarawak Financial Secretary (SFS), to review proposals for the new airport.
When met by reporters, Asajaya assemblyman Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the proposed new international airport to be built at Tanjung Embang is considered close to Kuching city.
“I don’t see it as being outside Kuching. It will remain within the Kuching area, at the edge of the city boundary.
“The area is still forested for now, but it is nearby. If bridges and other infrastructure are built from BCCK, it will be very close to the city,” he said.
Abdul Karim who is also Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts said with such infrastructures and large developments being built in the constituency, it will benefit the local residents.
“Tanjung Embang is near Kampung Beliung, which is also part of the Asajaya constituency,” he said.
