KOTA KINABALU, Oct 27 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke has announced that he will present a Cabinet paper on the expansion plan of Kota Kinabalu International Airport at the Cabinet meeting next Friday.

He stated that under the proposed upgrade, the current terminal building will be expanded, and there will be a multi-storey car park, additional retail spaces, and more parking bays for airplanes.

Loke said this when officiating DAP Sabah’s ordinary convention at the Sabah International Convention Centre on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters later, Loke mentioned that the upgrade would increase KKIA’s capacity from nine million to 12 million passengers annually.

"I also envision that KKIA will have something similar to Terminal 2 in Kuala Lumpur, where a shopping mall is integrated with the terminal building. I will discuss this with Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB) to see if this can be replicated at KKIA,” he said.

Loke emphasised that KKIA is a very important international airport, being the second busiest in Malaysia.

"There is a lot of movement of tourists, and more retail spaces are needed for the airport. This would be good in terms of the economy and job creation. Hopefully, the Cabinet will approve the proposal so MAHB can start the process, and construction work can begin as early as next year,” he added.

Loke clarified that the upgrade would not involve government funding, which is why it was not included in the 2025 federal budget announced last week.

"It will be on top of whatever that has been approved or announced in the budget. This model of development will be invested by MAHB as the airport operator so the government does not need to allocate the funds,” he said, adding that MAHB will have a model to recover their investment.

Regarding the project’s cost, Loke estimated it to be a few hundred million ringgit and will announce the exact figure after Cabinet approval.

He stressed that the federal government will continue to support Sabah, as evidenced by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim allocating RM6.7 billion development funds for the state under Budget 2025

The budget will focus on the developing basic infrastructure, such as education, scholarships, clinics, and rural development, especially the Pan-Borneo Highway.

Additionally, he said there are many other initiatives aimed that developing Sabah’s economy, adding that the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor has instructed the Ministry of Transport to lay the groundwork and see how the state’s maritime sector, especially the port sector can be further developed. — The Borneo Post