Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak cutting the ribbon to mark the launching of KKIA Terminal 1 as Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (second left), Transport Minister Dato Sri Liow Tiong Lai (left) and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman (second right) look on.
KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wants Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) to have services and facilities that the country can be proud of.
“When visitors arrive into our country, their first contact point is the airport and the services as well as the facilities will give them the first impression of our country. It will reflect on the visitors if we are a first world or third world country,” he said.
Services like Immigration and Customs clearance must be swift and smooth so that the visitors are not subjected to long waits (to be processed), he said when officially opening the KKIA yesterday.
“They will judge if we make them feel welcome or otherwise and this is why I want to see good service and facilities in KKIA. I want all government agencies (operating in KKIA) to take note of this,” he said.
Najib added that the level of service provided from the front liners, business establishment, airport management down to the taxi service must be on par with the modern airport.
“Carry out your responsibilities well in all aspects because the airport should not only be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, the contents and services it provides must also be at a high level,” he stressed.
“We all know that in the context of building a country that is united, national integration and connectivity are very important. This is where KKIA plays its role, connecting Malaysians from Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.
Sabah, according to Najib, has a huge potential in tourism as its biodiversity and hospitable people are what brings visitors to the state.
It is the government’s hope that KKIA will be the hub for air connectivity of Borneo which will also be the key to open up the country’s business, trade, commerce and investment possibilities.
“I am happy to note that there are 20 weekly flights from mainland China to Sabah and that 14 airlines are now operating out of KKIA. For the Federal Government, I reiterate its commitment to do whatever it can to promote the state as a main holiday destination in Malaysia,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said that the official launch of KKIA by Najib would enable more airlines to capitalise on the opportunity to fly into Sabah.
This, he stressed, was another effort by the government in Malaysia’s journey to achieve fully developed nation status.
“Kota Kinabalu is a popular tourism getaway as well as a thriving industrial and commercial centre, hence the need for a state-of-the-art airport to cope with the growing demand,” he said.
According to Liow, in 2014, KKIA handled a total of 6.79 million passengers with 3.19 million in Terminal One. With the upgrade, KKIA now has the capacity to serve nine million passengers per year, a 350 per cent increase compared with Terminal Two, he added.
“The development of KKIA will not only improve connectivity throughout the region, it is also expected to have a spillover effect in terms of facilitating access to the rural areas of Sabah.
“This in turn will also provide a boost in terms of job opportunities and economic development,” Liow pointed out.