KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 3): Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said on Wednesday (Aug 3) that no approval has been given for the establishment of an aerodrome in relation to the proposed construction of a new airport on Tioman island.
Wee told the Dewan Rakyat that the approval is also subject to the results of the National Airports Strategic Plan (NASP) study, which started in March this year.
The study, which will take 18 months to complete and cover all 42 existing airports including the proposed construction of new airports, among others, will also examine whether the Tioman airport would be competitive or not.
"Therefore, the final approval for the proposed construction of the new Tioman island airport will only be considered when the NASP study has been completed as well as complying with all the conditions set by other government agencies as stated in the technical reports," he said in reply to a question from Seremban Member of Parliament Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
Loke wanted to know whether the new airport proposed by a private company had received policy approval from the government and whether the project would be competitive and would meet environmental sustainability criteria.
Wee added that the 36th National Physical Planning Council (NPPC) meeting held on Oct 27, 2020 agreed in principle with the proposed construction of the Tioman airport subject to the preparation of some technical reports.
These included Environmental Impact Assessment Report, Social Impact Assessment Report, Traffic Impact Assessment Report, Marine Risk Assessment, Coral Mapping Studies and Land-Disturbing Pollution and Mitigation Measures.
"The NPPC meeting also decided that this proposal should be raised again for consideration by the council," added Wee.
In relation to the determination of environmental sustainability criteria for the proposed project, Wee said the matter is currently under examination by the Department of Environment.
In June 2018, Berjaya Corp Bhd chairman Tan Sri Vincent Tan announced that the group planned to build a RM1.2 billion airport on the island, with the construction to be financed by the group's internal funds and borrowings.
He added that the proposed airport would be managed by the government if it was approved.
However, then Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Mohd Badlisham Ghazali said previous plans to develop an airport on Tioman had not been approved, as environmental impact assessment studies showed that the project would involve land reclamation.
Nevertheless, Badlisham said he welcomed Tan's idea of financing the development on behalf of the federal government if the latter found a way to overcome the island's environmental limitations.
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