MAHB To Invest US$2.3 Mln To Further Improve Services At KKIA

KOTA KINABALU (Sabah, Malaysia), Oct 14 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) will invest US$2.37 million (RM10 million) to further improve services at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA). Managing Director Badlisham Ghazali said the allocation would be used to install two units of passenger boarding bridges, in-line baggage screening systems and reconfigure immigration counters. "This will allow a better flow of passengers at the departure and arrival halls at the airport. "The budget has been approved and we plan to undertake the project in 2017," he told reporters after a meeting with Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun here Thursday. Badlisham said MAHB was committed to enhancing its services at KKIA as the airport had recorded the highest growth rate of 29 per cent for international passengers to 1.4 million in the first nine months of 2016 compared with 1.1 million in the same period last year. The impressive growth was contributed by the strong performance of all airlines operating at KKIA including AirAsia and Jin Air (South Korea), said Badlisham. He said currently, KKIA which is designed to handle nine million passengers per annum, handles an average of 180 flights with 18,000 passengers daily. Meanwhile, Masidi said during the meeting, MAHB had briefed him on its future plans for KKIA. "This will allow the state government to work with MAHB in giving a boost to the Sabah tourism industry," he added. -- BERNAMA