KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim believes the first phase of the new terminal at the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport (LTSIP) in Pengkalan Chepa which began operations yesterday, can help generate more economic opportunities for Kelantan.

In a Facebook posting, the prime minister said the infrastructure would also stimulate development and progress that the state can continue to enjoy.

"I was made to understand that the new infrastructure (terminal) will be able to provide landing opportunities for international flights by year end through various attractive programmes lined up,” he said in the posting.

Earlier, Anwar who arrived at the LTSIP today at 3.20pm was received by Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Nassuruddin Daud.

The prime minister spent about 30 minutes to visit the facilities at the LTSIP as well as meet and greet the people in the terminal.

The RM440 million LTSIP expansion and upgrading project aims to enhance facilities and increase the airport terminal’s capacity from 1.5 million to four million passengers per year

The new terminal is equipped with over 20 flight counters, an elevated car park, a dedicated taxi driver route, a fire and rescue station, a larger apron area, and a cashless operating system for the convenience of passengers. — Bernama