APA Issue 3, 2021
INDUSTRY NEWS
NEW AIRPORTS OPEN IN MALAYSIA AND CHINA Despite today’s tough operating environment, the number of airports in the Asia-Pacific region continues to grow with the recent opening of the new Mukah Airport (MKM) in Sarawak, Malaysia, and Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU) in China. Mukah’s new $70 million gateway replaces the town’s former short take-off and landing (STOLport) airport, which opened in the 1960s and could only handle a maximum of 67 passengers at a time. Today’s 3,120sqm terminal can accommodate up to 264,000 passengers per annum while its 1.5 kilometre long runway is initially equipped to handle turboprop and helicopter operations. Operator, Malaysia Airports, notes that the runway could eventually be extended to allow it to welcome larger aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. Malaysia Airports’ CEO, Dato’ Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh, enthuses: “The opening of the new MKM will help to further boost the connectivity of the coastal town and its surrounding areas in Sarawak. MKM can now serve more people and strengthen the town’s prospects in contributing to the local economic development.” Meanwhile, in China, the $11 billion Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in Sichuan Province
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(pictured above), opened for business in late June and perhaps fittingly, Sichuan Airlines operated the first ever departure from the gateway, flight 3U8001 to Beijing. Located in Jianyang district, approximately 50km east of downtown Chengdu, TFU is expected to play an important role in the economic development of Sichuan Province and its 80 million inhabitants. The new greenfield airport has two terminal buildings and three runways that will initially allow it to handle around 40 million passengers per year, although with future expansion that capacity could ultimately rise to around 90mppa. Designed by Groupe ADP, the existing terminals cover more than 600,000sqm and boast four high speed railway connections and two metro lines via a large intermodal Ground Transportation Centre. Groupe ADP’s deputy executive officer for development operations, Xavier Hürstel, comments: “The new Tianfu International Airport is a fine example of the expertise developed by Groupe ADP in large scale airport design, which is part of our DNA as an airport operator and comes from decades of experience gained in Paris and through our worldwide network.”
