by David E.
KOTA KINABALU: Sept 20, 2026 – Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) president Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey G. Kitingan has urged the government to build a new international airport, saying KKIA’s single-runway reliance is a major economic risk.
He said the Sept 17 closure of Kota Kinabalu International Airport to repair its sole runway disrupted at least 20 flights through delays, cancellations and diversions.
“This disrupted passengers, hotels, airlines, tourism operators, traders, importers, exporters and investors,” he said in a statement Sunday (Sept 20).
Kitingan said KKIA, Malaysia’s second-busiest airport after KLIA, is Sabah’s principal gateway. Air connectivity, he added, is the lifeline of Sabah’s tourism, trade and investment.
He noted KKIA’s designed capacity of nine million passengers annually was exceeded in 2019, when it handled about 9.4 million. Although an upgrade has been approved to raise capacity to 12 million, the airport will still depend on one runway.
“Increasing terminal capacity without addressing this weakness is inadequate. More flights will place greater pressure on the existing runway,” he said.
He said expanded facilities would be meaningless whenever the sole runway closes due to emergencies, security concerns or repairs.
“Sabah needs a new international airport. Authorities must immediately identify a suitable location,” he said.
He said Papar-Kimanis should be seriously evaluated, with the final site decided through comprehensive technical, environmental, economic and accessibility studies.
He also urged the government to examine urgently a second runway or other interim solutions to ensure KKIA operates safely without major disruption.
“The government must act now. Sabah cannot afford another shutdown or incident,” he said.
