UPDATE WED 14/JAN 2.45PM
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Shortage of Air Traffic Controllers?
Yesterday, Tuesday, Malay Mail ran a two-page cover story on the planned airport in Negeri Sembilan.
It quoted a senior unnamed official from the Department of Civil Aviation saying having two control towers near other will strain further the work of air traffic controllers.
"Sources said the more pressing problem faced by authorities is the critical shortage of air traffic controllers in the country.
"An additional airport would force the DCA to split the already-thin cadre of flight controllers.
"The source added that the numbers are well below what the ICAO considers to be the minimum. Currently, there are close to 1,000 ATCs nationwide. KLIA alone has slightly more than 80."
And last evening, TV3 news quoted a statement from the MAS Employees Union asking the government to review the airport plan. See Bernama story here.
Malay Mail was fair, quoting Tony Fernandes as saying he plans to build the highways, rail extension and even maybe employ the extra immigration officers himself.
This was in response to those who have asked that although the project is supposed to be carried out by AirAsia, Sime Darby and some other investors (I hope EPF and Tabung Haji are not going to get involved, I got my money saved there dammit!), who will pay to build new train tracks, roads and employ the extra official hands needed to run the LabuLabi airport apart from KLIA.
Of course, this begs the questions of how come a private company would be allowed to hire immigration work.
Would he then hire the extra police force needed?
And then the extra air traffic controllers for the new tower?
Like that very soon, he could declare his own government.
I am very negative, I am sorry, but there are too many unanswered questions on why the government so easily passed the important aviation policy to an individual or a company.
If you ask me, since Tony is a real talented guy - he did build AirAsia from nothing - he should perhaps be allowed to run KLIA. I am saying this in all seriousness.
Allow his company to buy a majority stake in KLIA with the agreement that he will then work to expand this airport with an LCCT component rather than build a new LabuLabi one.
Wah, can or not? Easy for me to talk cock, I know.
PICTURE - There is a heck lot of land around KLIA still. Too swampy? Got ERL electrical lines too high? But, errrr, earthlings have sent men to the moon and back safely. Men have built thousands of miles of Internet cables under the sea.
You mean we suddenly cannot foxily conquer swampy land and bury those ERL lines? I am sure KLIA land was swampy also at one time, but no one complains now of tanah tenggelam....
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Ori posting - OTK sounds unhappy!
The Cabinet-approved airport in Labu, Negeri Sembilan, we now know was not really approved by the Transport Minister, although he should be deeply involved in the matter.
Ong Tee Kiat seems to be saying below, blame it on the Finance Minister and Finance Minister 2. Najib Razak and Nor Yakcop. OTK was bypassed!
As I have said here (see my last para), OTK was not too thrilled when told the new airport plan was going ahead. Bye bye KLIA, bye bye cogent aviation policy.
Never mind that Malaysia Airports could actually build an LCCT within KLIA.
Never mind that Malaysia will be the laughing stock for this kind of (again!) haphazard planning that can seemingly be hijacked under a prominent minister's nose.
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Approval for Nilai LCCT given by all parties, says Tee Keat
The Star Tuesday 13Jan 2009.
KUALA LUMPUR: Approval for the new low-cost carrier terminal in Nilai, Negri Sembilan, was given by all the relevant parties, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said.
He said questions about the suitability of the KLIA East@Labu project was not for the Transport Ministry to answer solely. “The ministry does not have the ultimate or entire say. It is a collective decision.
“Furthermore, it is a privatised project. It never came under the ministry,” he said after launching the MCA ICT Resource Centre Micro-Finance Expo here yesterday.
Ong was asked about the RM1.6bil joint venture between Sime Darby and AirAsia. He said some people assumed that he had the authority to approve the project when he started talking about future air traffic projections.
Ong clarified that questions about the new project being at odds with the KL International Airport Masterplan should be directed to the Finance Ministry. “Government-linked companies come under the Finance Ministry.
“And as far as the masterplan is concerned, this has yet to be endorsed as it is just the outcome of a study commissioned by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad,” he said.
On the close proximity of the KLIA East@Labu airport to the KLIA and the LCCT, Ong said geographical distance was a separate matter as far as International Civil Aviation Organisation compliance was concerned.
“It will not be a problem.”
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5 comments:
OTK sounds pathetic. As Transport Minister, he is responsible for civil aviation matters thru the Dept. of Civil Aviation and this includes SAFE and efficient operations of airports. Having two international airports operating about 6 kilometers from each other is neither SAFE nor efficient.
Flight safety should take precedence over the commercial interest of Air Asia, Sime Darby or the Negeri Sembilan Government
No doubt the Labu is going to be a Private Finance Initiative but matters pertaining to flight safety which includes the siting of civil airports, rests with the MOT/Dept. of Civil Aviation. The Minister should have put his foot down with regard to the putting up an airport at Labu. I cannot recall any country which have two international airports sited 6 kilometers from each other. As a matter of interest, India has a policy which stipulates that the minimum air distance between two
international airports should be 150 kilometers.The International Civil Aviation Organisation recommended minimum distance is 40 kilometers between two airports for safety reasons.
For the sake of flight safety the proposal to build the airport at Labu should scrapped.
Could feel OTK feeling uncomfortable when talking about KLIA LABU, but knowing his recent cover up of PKFZ, he will just dance to the tune set by the other more powerful political figures. Don't forget he is also the Minister in charge of AA.
A.I., Zawi,
thanks for the comments.
sad to see that the transport minister sounded like he was cowed into agreement.
susah like this if the country is controlled by a few, seemingly, while even a big cabinet minister (who is also the president of the biggest chinese political party mca) cannot do anything to at least debate the issue first.
let Tony , Sime etc buy MAHB. It's cheaper that way. If he thinks he can run it better, why not?
joebanana
Perhaps they are all letting it go for now and the decision to be revisited after april.
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