NATURAL Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the cabinet decided not to proceed with constructing a new airport on Tioman Island. 

In a statement today, he said the decision to discontinue the construction of the international airport is in line with his ministry’s priorities on preservation and conservation. 

“After the EIA technical report committee meeting on August 9, the ministry is of the opinion that the proposed airport would potentially have a serious negative impact on the quality of the environment in Tioman Island, especially towards the sensitive receptors and marine ecology. 

“Although the goal of the (airport proponents) was to draw more visitors (to the island), the new airport will bring an unsustainable number of visitors and destroy the natural attractions in Tioman Island,” the minister said. 

Nik Nazmi noted that the ministry had received 1,412 responses from the public on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the project, which was on display from June 21 to July 20. 

He said Tioman Island was a protected marine park and home to a virgin rainforest as well as being a wildlife reserve. 

“The (cabinet’s) decision reflected the efforts of the government in balancing development and ecological sustainability,” he added. 

The project has been in the pipeline and has met with reservations from several quarters. 

Then-Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd managing director Badlisham Ghazali had said there was no suitable place for the airport on the island. 

“The government has looked at it many times. The problem with Tioman is finding a suitable spot to build a larger airport. 

“The only way is to extend into the sea, which involves reclamation. This will require an EIA. We won’t get approval,” Badlisham was quoted as saying.

A land reclamation project could damage its pristine environment and attract opposition from conservation groups and the local fishing community. 

A plan to build a RM120 million airport on the island, proposed in 2003, was also stopped six years later by former transport minister Ong Tee Keat over environmental concerns. – August 9, 2023.