ALOR STAR: KEDAH'S dream of having an international airport has been revived with Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir revealing yesterday that the state government is in preliminary discussions with the Federal level to build an international airport in Kulim.
He said the proposed airport would service north Malaysia as the demand for air travel was constantly increasing.
"Although we already have the Penang International Airport in the north, we can foresee congestion becoming an issue in coming years.
"Penang has a limited land area. We have 600 hectares of land we can use in Kulim," Mukhriz said, adding that the land could be used for longer and wider airstrips.
He said the state government was confident the project would help boost the economic activities in the northern region.
The idea for an airport in Kulim was first mooted in 1997 by the then Kedah menteri besar Tan Sri Sanusi Junid.
The proposal then involved building an airport on a man-made island, off Kuala Muda, which was to be reclaimed.
The project was welcomed by the Federal Government and then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, but received objections from then Penang chief minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon.
Koh's administration felt it would become a major competitor to the Penang International Airport and presumably affect the island's economy.
In another development, Mukhriz said the state would be exporting its food products to Johor soon with the latter, in turn, exporting its domestic products to the former such as detergents and other items.
Returning from a working visit to the state, Mukhriz said a lot of could be learned from the southern state in terms of administration, business entrepreneurship and tourism attractions.
"One of the key takeaways was a business forum we attended where we find there is a lot of potential for exchange of trade between the two states.
"We should consider a transportation system where goods from Kedah are sent to Johor and the same transportation system is utilised to transport goods from Johor to Kedah."