Budget 2025: Miri Airport expansion to boost tourism, trade sectors, says MP

MIRI (Oct 19): The much-awaited expansion of Miri Airport has been included in Budget 2025, much to the delight of Miri MP Chiew Choon Man.

He said the expansion project, which involves the addition of two aerobridges, will increase the airport’s capacity and better facilitate the movement of aircraft and passengers.

“This will stimulate the growth of the tourism and trade sectors in Miri, open up more job opportunities, and attract more investments,” he told The Borneo Post following the tabling of Budget 2024 by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Parliament yesterday.

“As the main gateway to northern Sarawak, the airport’s expansion is an important step in the effort to make Miri a more competitive economic hub, in line with the state’s and nation’s economic vision.”

In the Budget presented by Anwar, also the nation’s Finance Minister, RM235 million was allocated for the expansion of Miri Airport and Tawau Airport in Sabah.

During his last visit here, the Prime Minister had assured the people that the Miri Airport expansion project would be expedited, and that he would discuss the matter with federal Transport Minister Anthony Loke and the Finance Ministry.

In April this year, Minister of Transport Sarawak Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin said the airport here was in urgent need of a master plan to expand its facilities to enable it to cater to the growing number of passengers.

On a separate point in the Budget, Chiew said Putrajaya’s emphasis on introducing more programmes to stimulate the economy would help businesses thrive in the face of global economic uncertainties.

“For Miri, this means support for the SMEs (small and medium enterprises), which form the backbone of our economy.

“We need incentives for innovation and digital transformation, as well as access to low-interest loans or grants to help businesses modernise and expand.

“Budget 2025 includes initiatives to attract more foreign direct investment to Sarawak, especially in sectors such as technology, renewable energy and agriculture.

“By stimulating business growth, we can create more jobs and enhance the livelihoods of our people,” he said.

Chiew noted that the Budget also addressed the welfare needs of the people, especially the vulnerable groups, saying that targeted social safety nets that provided direct financial assistance to low-income families, single parents and elderly were very much needed.