The Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has the capacity to compete with other airports in the region based on its huge landbank, according to a report by Bernama, Malaysia’s national news agency.
The KLIA Aeropolis, the airport city development in the aviation hub, has the capacity to expand way ahead of many airports in the Asian region, said Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) managing director.
The MAHB is the concession holder of KLIA, considered the 27th busiest airport in the world by passenger volume, and the lease holder of the landbank surrounding the airport.
“KLIA has the potential to cater to 100 million passengers a year in four to five years’ time,” Bashir said during a seminar at the recent Airports Cities Conference & Exhibition 2014 in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, as quoted by Bernama.
The airport city project is sprawled over 8,966 hectares of land at KLIA with 2,428 hectares already developed. It is being developed into a mixed-use commercial real estate that will include offices, commercial establishments, a convention center, logistics facilities, a theme park, and golf courses.
MAHB senior general manager Mohd Khair Mirza said the two existing runways plus an additional runway to be constructed will be sufficient to accommodate the traffic flow through KLIA in the next few years.
The development complex is expected to be completed within the next five to 10 years. It is projected to generate business and commercial development opportunities in the area and holds the potential to emerge as a significant airport city in Asia.
Photo: calflier001
