THE extension of the Pulau Tioman airport runway in Pahang would draw more tourists to the island and raise the income of local residents, state Unity, Tourism and Culture Committee chairman Leong Yu Man said.

She said the current runway, which is only 850m, could only accommodate an aeroplane with a load of a dozen passengers.

“The runway extension project will allow larger aircraft, such as the ATR aircraft that can carry 72 passengers to Pulau Tioman, as well as allow unlimited access for the craft to fly in as during certain seasons, like in the monsoon season, the ferry service is disrupted,” she said when contacted by Bernama.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim when tabling Budget 2024 on Friday announced an allocation of RM47 million to improve passenger facilities at the Tioman Airport and to extend the runway to 1,300m.

Tioman Development Authority general manager Idros Yahya said the runway extension, when completed, could increase the number of flights to the island as there are many airlines using ATR 72 aircraft.

He said there were only four flights a week to Pulau Tioman from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Selangor.

“A larger-capacity plane allows us to target the presence of tourists from more places including Singapore and Batam, Indonesia, in addition to domestic flights such as from Penang and Kota Bharu, Kelantan,” he said.

The airport has been in use since the 1980s.

A tourism operator on the island, Hadzeri Hamzah, 42, said with the runway extension, aircraft would be able to fly into the island all year round, generating more income for local residents.

“Our income depends on tourists. If there are fewer tourists, there is less income. In November and December, there are fewer tourists as ferries cannot operate due to the rough seas, but with the extension of the runway, we can have more planes flying in,” he said.

In 2018, there was a proposal to build an international airport in the island’s Kampung Genting, but in August, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad reportedly said the government would not proceed with the project because it involved land reclamation. – Bernama, October 15, 2023.