Sabah set to see rise in tourist arrivals via KKIA

Tourist arrivals in Sabah is set to increase in the coming weeks despite a safety warning by the contractor undertaking the stalled upgrading works at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), said state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

“The KKIA is fit for use as declared by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA),” he said.

“Airlines demand a high safety standard of any airport where they operate from, so the question of the airport not being safe does not arise,” he said yesterday.

Masidi said the contractor, Global Upline Sdn Bhd (GUSB), should resolve any dispute it had with the Government through the various channels instead of issuing warnings about the safety level of the airport.

“Any claims they have should be pursued with decorum,” Masidi said.

He said GUSB should have considered the implications of any public statement regarding the safety level at the KKIA.

GUSB announced that it had stopped all upgrading work at the KKIA, claiming that the Transport Ministry had failed to fulfil its promise to issue a Certificate of Practical Completion to GUSB.

However, the ministry subsequently said that the KKIA runway was being continuously inspected and found to be in compliance with standards and that it was safe to be used for aircraft operations.

Source: The Star