haze
October 3rd, 2007, 03:26 PM
Kuala Terengganu airport to get international status
By R.S.N. MURALI
KUALA TERENGGANU: The Sultan Mahmud Airport here will be awarded international status allowing Jumbo Jets to land and depart, to balance the ambitious Eastern Corridor Economic Corridor (ECER) project for the state.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said the airport would be the first with such a status in the east coast region. “The airport will complement ECER as Terengganu is earmarked as a tourism gateway and educational hub under the blueprint,” he said after chairing the weekly state Exco meeting here, Wednesday.
Idris said the airport's new complex is expected to be operational soon while currently the airport’s runway extension project, covering a length of 2,800m, is underway and the state government submitted another proposal to extend the runway an additional 600m.
He said apart from the airport, Kuala Terengganu will be turned into a hub to ferry tourists to resort islands.
Currently tourists have to board ferries at Merchang, Kuala Besut and Marang jetties to get to these islands and only the only boat to Redang is from the Kuala Terengganu Dataran Shahbandar jetty.
Idris said more jetties would be constructed if the need arose and the waterway will be deepened to allow passenger boats to berth close to the current jetty.
By R.S.N. MURALI
KUALA TERENGGANU: The Sultan Mahmud Airport here will be awarded international status allowing Jumbo Jets to land and depart, to balance the ambitious Eastern Corridor Economic Corridor (ECER) project for the state.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said the airport would be the first with such a status in the east coast region. “The airport will complement ECER as Terengganu is earmarked as a tourism gateway and educational hub under the blueprint,” he said after chairing the weekly state Exco meeting here, Wednesday.
Idris said the airport's new complex is expected to be operational soon while currently the airport’s runway extension project, covering a length of 2,800m, is underway and the state government submitted another proposal to extend the runway an additional 600m.
He said apart from the airport, Kuala Terengganu will be turned into a hub to ferry tourists to resort islands.
Currently tourists have to board ferries at Merchang, Kuala Besut and Marang jetties to get to these islands and only the only boat to Redang is from the Kuala Terengganu Dataran Shahbandar jetty.
Idris said more jetties would be constructed if the need arose and the waterway will be deepened to allow passenger boats to berth close to the current jetty.