KUCHING: Kota Sentosa Assemblyman, Wilfred Yap Sau Sin, dismissed opposition calls to expand the existing Kuching International Airport (KIA) instead of building a new international airport at Tanjung Embang, stressing that Sarawak deserves long-term infrastructure planning rather than short-term fixes.
Yap was responding to Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak’s Chairman, Chong Chieng Jen, who had earlier called to abandon plans for a new international airport.
Chong argued that the current airport has already reached its physical and technical limits.
“The runway cannot be extended any further, which means Kuching will never be able to host larger, long-haul aircraft. That limitation alone locks Sarawak out of future aviation growth. Is this really the kind of ‘vision’ Chong wants for Sarawak?” he said in a statement.
Yap asserted that the Tanjung Embang airport project goes beyond passenger capacity, positioning Sarawak as an integrated hub for trade, cargo, tourism and investment.
“The new airport is planned to connect seamlessly with Sarawak’s deep-sea port, creating a powerful logistics hub. Our neighbours are constructing modern infrastructure for the next generation, while Chong seems content for Sarawak to remain stuck in yesterday’s limitations,” he said.
He noted that Malaysia itself faced a similar turning point in the 1990s, when the government built the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang to replace the overcrowded Subang Airport despite criticism at the time.
“If Malaysia had followed Chong’s logic in the 1990s and merely kept expanding Subang, KLIA as we know it today — with its capacity and global connectivity — would never have existed,” Yap said, adding that Sarawak must now take the same bold step.
He also highlighted that the state is in a financially stronger position to invest compared with federal mega projects of the past, while federal funding should be seen as fair compensation for Sarawak’s decades of contributions through oil and gas revenues.
“A new, modern airport, together with our own airline, will transform Sarawak into a true regional hub for tourism, trade, and logistics. This is about unlocking opportunities for the next 50 years, not patching ceilings for the next five,” he said.
Yap added that the new airport, which could be ready by around 2035, reflects Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg’s long-term vision to position Sarawak as a competitive economy with world-class connectivity.
“Perhaps Chong is satisfied with ‘good enough’ for now. But Sarawak cannot afford complacency. We must plan and build infrastructure that secures our future,” he said.
