KUCHING, Dec 27: Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to China, Dato Seri Tiong King Sing, has urged for further improvements on maintenance and airport experiences for passengers in the airports in Sibu and Bintulu.
This issue was brought to the federal Minister of Transport (MoT) Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong and Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB) during a meeting on Dec 24.
Tiong informed that Dr Wee and MAHB led by its managing director Dato’ Iskandar Mizal Mahmood, have responded positively and will contact the departments involved to make the necessary improvements.
Tiong, who is Bintulu MP and Dudong assemblyman, further stressed that such improvements and maintenance must be implemented quickly as it is within the rights and the interests of passengers to access a safe and comfortable aviation terminal.
“For instance, trivial facility maintenance issues such as escalators, toilets, air-conditioning, and ceiling leaks could be resolved locally and quickly without a lengthy approval procedure,” he said in a statement today.
He also mentioned that in anticipation of the increasing number of passengers, he hoped that the departure hall, walkalators, and aerobridges could be upgraded to cope with larger passenger traffic.
“As there are still health protocols and physical distancing measures to comply with, more passengers means there is a need for larger spaces within the terminal to prevent crowding,” he added.
Tiong, who is also Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president, further said that taking the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic into account, he suggested to MoT to review the fees currently levied in the airports for various facilities, including the use of aerobridges, shop rental rates, and parking fees.
“Many people are looking forward to more accessible air travel again. By making these fees and levies more competitive compared to the regional airports, it would attract more people to shop duty-free and further stimulate the economy,” he said. ― DayakDaily
