The new state-of-the art Kuching International Airport will be built with the future in mind.
According to a news report by Borneo Post, Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said that the new Kuching International Airport would boast the latest technology and will be able to handle 15 million passangers per year.
New KIA vs the rest
As a comparison, the current Kuching International Airport is made to handle about 5.3 million passangers.
This means the new Kuching International Airport would dwarf the current airport as it will handle triple the volume of passengers, with Abang Johari himself stating that the airport would be ‘huge’.
Neighbouring Kota Kinabalu International Airport currently can handle 9.5 million passangers, with Brunei International Airport built to handle 3 million passangers.
Malaysia’s main airport, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, handles about 45 million passengers per year.
High-tech airport
In addition to handling 15 million passengers, the new Kuching International Airport would also introduce one time check-ins.
Such technology meant that passangers or airport guest would only need to check-in once, with the rest being handled digitally.
Abang Johari confirmed that the new airport would be equipped with the latest technology, apart from having seamless infrastructure.
Despite the advancement, Abang Johari was quoted by Dayak Daily as saying that the new airport will not be completed so soon, taking about three to five years to be fully completed and operational.
He also said that the coming new Sarawak owned airline would bring more visitors to Sarawak and the current airport is at its limits.
The current Kuching International Airport is handling 5 million passangers.
Kuching as centre of tourism
With Sarawak moving to be the centre hub for events and tourism in the future, a new big capacity airport is therefore required.
In addition, Dayak Daily also reported in the same article that Abang Johari wants Sarawak to be a regional aviation centre in the region.
It is exciting to learn that Sarawak has massive plans to bring in people and tourist to Kuching and Sarawak by supporting huge events like Borneo Sonic Music Festival, IDECS, International Water Association’s (IWA) World Water Congress and Exhibition and more.
However, with the location of the new airport yet to be mentioned or confirmed, it is highly believed that the new airport will not begin construction any time soon, and would likely start once Sarawak completes part of the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) and has already had momentum on its Sarawak-owd airline.
