KUCHING: Kota Sentosa Assemblyman Wilfred Yap has dismissed Chong Chieng Jen’s suggestion to abandon plans for a new international airport at Tanjung Embang in favour of expanding Kuching International Airport (KIA), calling it short-sighted and inadequate for Sarawak’s long-term growth.
Yap argued that KIA has reached its physical and technical limits.
“The runway cannot be extended any further, which means Kuching will never be able to host larger, long-haul aircraft. That limitation alone locks Sarawak out of future aviation growth,” he said.
He described the proposed RM100 million expansion plan as cosmetic, saying it would not address the state’s real aviation needs.
“In aviation terms, the runway length, airside capacity, and surrounding land constraints make KIA unsuitable for the next stage of Sarawak’s development. Sarawak must not be trapped in a short-sighted cycle of stopgap measures,” he added.
Yap believed that the new airport project at Tanjung Embang is part of an integrated development plan, connecting air travel with Sarawak’s deep-sea port to form a logistics hub for trade, cargo, and investment. He credited Premier Abang Zohari Tun Openg’s foresight for championing this vision.
“The Premier’s strategy is about positioning Sarawak as a regional hub that integrates air, sea, and digital connectivity. It is about transforming Sarawak into a modern, competitive economy that can attract global investors and open new frontiers in tourism and trade,” Yap said.
He drew parallels to the development of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), which replaced Subang Airport in 1998.
“If Malaysia had merely kept expanding Subang, KLIA as we know it today would never have existed. Aviation planning must be forward-looking, and Sarawak requires the same foresight today,” he noted.
Yap estimated that the new airport project could be completed around 2035, stressing the need to start planning now. He also rejected comparisons with past federal mega projects, stating that Sarawak is investing from a position of financial strength.
He argued that the Federal Government has a responsibility to fund the project, given Sarawak’s contributions to national revenues.
“Instead of settling for crumbs, Chong should be demanding full federal funding from the Ministry of Transport under his own DAP colleague, Anthony Loke,” he said.
Yap also pointed to the state’s aviation ambitions with the creation of Air Borneo. “A new, modern airport together with our own airline will transform Sarawak into a true regional hub for tourism, trade, and logistics. This is about unlocking opportunities for the next 50 years, not patching ceilings for the next five,” he said.
Yap added that Sarawak cannot afford complacency. “History has proven critics of KLIA wrong, and in time, it will also prove Chong wrong. Sarawak must plan and build for the future, not just for today,” he added.
By Connie Chieng