MP appeals for Putrajaya’s urgent approval to upgrade overcrowded Miri Airport

MIRI (Aug 27): Miri Airport is spilling over with frustrated passengers with frequent flight delays and Putrajaya needs to take action urgently to resolve this problem, said Miri MP Chiew Choon Man.

He said whenever there are flight delays due to operational or technical reasons, the airport boarding room becomes overcrowded with passengers having to stand or sit on the floor.

“This is what has been happening now and in previous weeks whenever there are delays,” he told The Borneo Post when asked to comment on passenger complaints of the situation at the airport.

In 2014, Miri Airport was ranked as the sixth busiest airport in Malaysia. The terminal building has been operating beyond its original capacity of 2 million passengers per year since 2012. In 2019, the number of passengers reached 2.4 million and 2.2 million in 2023.

Chiew said the Transport Ministry was aware of the urgency and necessity of upgrading the airport, and had assured him in Parliament on March 4 that the Miri Airport upgrading project had been accorded priority status.

The ministry has submitted this project for allocation approval and Chiew hoped it would be included in the National Budget for next year.

Recently, returning citizens and Sukma athletes from outside Miri and other states were caught in such a situation last weekend and had lashed out in anger against airlines for delayed flights, with many sitting or lying on the floor while waiting to board their respective flights.

A netizen with the handle ‘Tak Gitu’ demanded answers from Air Asia, saying the delays affected many VIPs, athletes and officials from Sarawak and other states who were already tired after a week of competition in the 21st Malaysia Games.

Aside from having to wait inside and outside the departure hall, many also suffered losses due to having to call for alternative transport from KLIA after delayed flights caused them to miss their trains, buses and other transportation after already booking their tickets.

Chiew himself faced a two-hour delay on Monday while flying to Kuala Lumpur, finding the departure hall packed with passengers.

“In every Parliament sitting, I have utilised every available channel to voice the issues regarding Miri Airport. I have also taken every opportunity during informal meetings or gatherings with the relevant ministers in the lobby to raise these concerns,” he said, while urging the public to be patient as the situation pans out.

He added that more foreign tourists and researchers will come to Miri after the Niah Caves was recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site.