BATU GAJAH, Nov 22 — The Perak government plans to upgrade Sultan Azlan Shah Airport (LTSAS) in Ipoh into a regional aviation hub.

Chairman of the State Committee on Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development Loh Sze Yee said this is because the airport’s runway size is suitable for Airbus 320 aircraft for long-haul flights of three to five hours.

"We have proposed to Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) for the implementation of a regional aviation hub where we (the state government) will focus on (direct) flights between Asean member countries only.

"However, it is entirely up to the federal government to decide,” he said after opening the Dinosaur Encounter@Silverlake Village Outlet (DESVO) at Silverlakes Village Outlet here today.

In the meantime, Loh said his committee has held discussions with several industry players including Thailand regarding direct flights that could be established between the two routes.

"We can only discuss because in the end the approval for flights, arrivals and departures all have to come from the federal government and that is our constraint at the moment,” he said.

Prior to this, Transport Minister Anthony Loke was reported to have said that the Transport Ministry welcomes the involvement of the private sector to develop and upgrade airports that are less competitive in the country.

He said the joint venture through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is believed to be able to provide a new model to the existing airport so that it can be developed better.

Loke said so far there are several private companies that have shown a genuine interest in the matter of large investments, including in LTSAS. — Bernama