PENANG International Airport will get a close to 100% capacity upgrade, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today.

He said the airport’s capacity would be upgraded from 6.5 million passengers to 12 million.

“The Transport Ministry said the government has agreed to upgrade the airport under Budget 2018.

“At this time, talks with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd on the upgrading are still under way, so the cost has yet to be determined.”

Lim, who is also Bagan MP, said this was the response he received in a written reply from the government in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday.

He had asked Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai why the Penang airport expansion had not been approved despite the facility already operating at near-maximum capacity.

Up to last month, the airport handled 5.92 million passengers, an 8.2% increase compared with 5.47 million in the first 10 months of last year.

Other airports in Malaysia recorded growth of between -8.5% and 13.5%.

Lim previously complained about the congestion at the airport in Bayan Lepas, saying it was like a “pasar malam”. – November 30, 2017.