RM296 mln Bebuling STOLport moves closer to full operations after second flight trial

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By Shikin Louis

KUCHING, Sept 26: The RM296 million Bebuling STOLport in Spaoh has moved another step closer to full operations after its second flight trial landing was witnessed by Premier Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg today.

The second flight trial followed the first on Sept 18, as part of a phased assessment of the facility’s technical, operational and readiness aspects before it becomes fully operational.

According to the Sarawak Public Works Department (JKR), the STOLport has a 1,190-metre runway, taxiway, apron, terminal, control tower, helipad and Aircraft Fire and Rescue Services (AFRS) facilities.

Speaking at the Sarawakku Sayang programme here today, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the facility would be a game changer for Betong by opening a much faster air link to Kuching and other parts of Sarawak.

He said a test flight from Kuching to Bebuling took only about 15 minutes, compared with around three hours by road.

“That is a game changer because if we want to go to Betong from Kuching by road, it takes you three hours,” he said.

Uggah said the improved connectivity would also significantly shorten travel to Batang Ai, with the journey from Bebuling to Batang Ai taking about an hour.

This would mean a journey from Kuching to Batang Ai via Bebuling could take about one hour and 15 minutes, compared with around four hours by road, he said.

He said the STOLport was not merely an airport but a gateway for people entering Betong and for locally produced goods to be transported to wider markets.

The facility is expected to complement Betong’s agricultural development, including the 600-acre Bebuling Agropark, which Uggah said already had four anchor companies.

He also highlighted another Agropark in Lubok Tamang and Collecting, Processing and Packaging Centres (CPPCs) in Spaoh and Simpang Layar, which would support the processing and packaging of agricultural products produced in the division.

Uggah said the improved air access would also create new opportunities for tourism, with Betong having attractions including Bukit Sadok, Batang Ai, longhouses, cultural traditions and local food.

He said visitors could travel from Bebuling to Batang Ai in about an hour, making it easier to develop tourism packages involving homestays and other local attractions.

Uggah said the STOLport would therefore write a new chapter in Betong’s development by linking the division more closely to the wider region.

“From now we can have a gateway from Betong to the world, and from the world to Betong and to all the region in this area,” he said.

The phased flight trials are being carried out as part of the readiness assessment before the Bebuling STOLport begins full operations. — DayakDaily

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