In a recent news report, dated 28 July, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Sabah chairman Ramli Amir said Sabah should consider building a new international airport before congestion becomes a serious problem at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA).

The concerned public has posted their comments, splitting the views to two, with some expressing their unfavourable opinions of having a new airport on top of the existing Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) and some favouring the idea of having another airport out of the already bustling KK city.

With the tourism sector booming in Sabah, it is only logical for the State to have a bigger airport. A comment from Izhizm Zwoots expressed that with the tourism booming in Sabah, KKIA airport would not be able to sustain the number of incoming flights in the future.

"Tourism is booming in Sabah and is our rice bowl for the economy. The current airport is approaching peak capacity soon at 7 million/9million arrivals. Of course, we need bigger and better airports”, he said.

Poor town planning has restricted developments and infrastructure in KK. Mohd Kassim Hashim, a concerned public, is adamant with the relocation of the airport. "It's restricting development of commercial space in KK. KKIA is considered infrastructural and I think it is important to relocate it”.

"What comes along with it is also a realignment of roads to the new airport to provide more accessibility. Congestion in KK is becoming a serious problem. The relocation can spread development outside of KK”, he said, adding that if everything is directed to coming down to the city centre, then it will only cause more congestion.

Malaysia Aviation Commission (Mavcom) also noted that Kota Kinabalu needed a larger airport because 13 million passengers a year were expected to pass through KKIA by 2021.

Meanwhile, a comment from Tomohito Chung stated that he believes Kota Kinabalu has the potential to be a precedent for a sustainable city. Kota Kinabalu deserves to be better than Kuala Lumpur and Singapore combined. The poor town planning has indeed restricted developments from being developed in Putatan.

"We don't need a new airport. Most urban designers and architects dream of having airports close to the city. With Kota Kinabalu (KK) being so far behind other cities in urban planning, this gives us a chance to learn from other cities' mistakes”, said Tomohito.

Others have said that having another airport is not necessary as the airport is only busy at certain times of the day. A comment stated that from 2pm to 4pm and 8pm to 7am, it is more common to see civil servants and airport personnel more than those taking a flight out to their respective destination.

Despite numerous rumours of the relocation or further expansion of KKIA, a firm decision to relocate/expand is still yet to be finalised by the government.

AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes called for new airport operators to be allowed in the country instead of just Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).

He bemoaned a move by MAHB, which he claimed was only interested in full-service airport terminals, to shut down the low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, two years ago.

Perhaps the logistics chief should consider listening to the publics' cries and bring back a low-cost carrier terminal instead of building another airport, splitting the airline fleets across the state.