UPGRADING of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is expected to start in 2026 when terminal capacity reaches 90%, the Transport Ministry said. 

It said Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd (MAHB) had appointed a consultant in 2019 to develop a master plan for a period of 30 years until 2050 for KLIA. 

The ministry said the study included two phases of development to accommodate increase in passengers of up to 140 million per annum (mppa) and cargo needs of up to 2.5 million tonnes per year.

It said KLIA Terminal 1 had been designed to accommodate up to 30 mppa while KLIA Terminal 2 as much as 45 million mppa. 

“Based on passenger movement projections by MAHB, the capacity at Terminal 1 will be reached in 2030 while Terminal 2 will be reached beyond 2030,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

The ministry was responding to a question from Gobind Singh Deo (Damansara-PH) on whether there were any proposals to upgrade buildings and facilities at the KLIA domestic and international terminals and the time period required for that purpose. 

It said in 2019, Terminal 1 recorded 29.2 mppa while Terminal 2 recorded 33 mppa. 

However, it said passenger movement at KLIA was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic that hit the world in 2020 and experienced a drastic decrease of up to 90% (2.1 mppa) in 2021 at Terminal 1 and 96% at Terminal 2 (1.8 mppa). 

Currently, it said MAHB is upgrading the Track Transit System and Baggage Handling System, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. 

On the status of the National Airport Strategic Plan, the ministry said a study was expected to be completed by the end of this year. 

It said the study, among others, aimed to determine the direction of development of airports in Malaysia in terms of physical infrastructure, airspace requirements and more so that airport development is carried out based on real needs according to authentic and accurate data. 

“This study will also examine several new airport construction proposals including Kulim Airport (KXP) to determine the feasibility and sustainability of a project holistically. 

“KXP Airportcity Holdings Sdn Bhd, as a company appointed by the Kedah state government, has submitted the results of the KXP feasibility study for the ministry’s research, which covers two reports, namely the Technical and Commercial Reports,” it added. – Bernama, June 12, 2023.