MACHANG, July 2 — The project to expand and upgrade the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport (LTSIP) in Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Baru, is expected to be delayed by 25.79 per cent or 143 days, compared to the original schedule.

Kelantan State Development Action Council (MTPNg) joint chairman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the project has reached a progress rate of 30.58 per cent.

"This delay is caused, among other things, by a shortage of skilled workers and issues with utilities and security systems at the construction site, which we are assisting to resolve.

"I was told that Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) and the Ministry of Transport (MOT) are also working on a recovery plan for this project,” he told reporters after visiting the Sungai Kelantan riverbank development project here today.

The LTSIP expansion and upgrade project is to improve facilities and increase the capacity of the airport terminal from 1.5 million passengers to four million passengers per annum, at a cost of over RM440 million.

Although LTSIP is not categorised as an international airport or a regional aviation hub, it can still handle scheduled and non-scheduled international flight operations like other domestic airports.

Elaborating, Nik Nazmi who is also the Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change Minister, said the contractors were focused on resolving issues that had arisen so that the project could be completed in early September next year.

"The project has been delayed from its original schedule, but we are closely monitoring it to ensure it will be completed in September (next year) and there will be no cost increase,” he said. — Bernama