KK International Airport to be operational 24 hours by May 1

KOTA KINABALU: The international airport here will be operational around the clock by May 1 after being shutdown for six hours daily since 2006 for runway resurfacing works.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said the 792m runway extension to accommodate a fully loaded Boeing 747 would only be completed by year end. “The most critical element now is to get the runway opened for 24 hours and we will be able to do this by May 1,” he said after visiting the ongoing runway project at the Kota Kinabalu Internatioonal Airport (KKIA) on Saturday. He said the six-hour shut down of the airport had largely affected chartered flights and not the scheduled operations of MAS and other airlines.

The runway extension was part of the massive RM1.4bil expansion and refurbishment works of the KKIA that included the construction of a new main terminal, a low cost carrier terminal and a new control tower. On the runway extension from the existing 2,988m to 3,780m, he said work on the additional 792m was ongoing, including increasing the elevation and installation of approach lights in the sea on the southern end to comply with international safety standards.

-thestar online.