Perak MB Flogging A Dead Airport?
Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali has been for a long while screaming and crying like a small child demanding that the landing strip at the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport (LTSAS) be extended. It looks like that he's finally got his wish when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday said that the government would expand the LTSAS airport.Currently, the LTSAS is used only by two Indonesian airlines, Merpati and Jentayu, for flights to Medan. MAS and AirAsia had ceased their operations some time ago as the routes from there were simply not profitable.
The expansion of the LTSAS, which would include extension of the landing strip, is expected to cost RM40 million. After splurging all that money what is the MB going to do to justify the extension? No problem. He has appealed to Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Firefly and AirAsia on grounds of social responsibility by saying, "they should not only think of making quick profits but also as a social project for the people in Perak." What rubbish! This is the type of meddlesome political interference which was partly responsible for MAS going under earlier.
For whatever reason, the routes from out of Ipoh apparently are not profitable and commonsense will tell that it is better to let sleeping dogs/airports lie rather than spending millions of taxpayers' money just because one pemimpin finds it difficult to drive now and then for Umno Supreme Council meetings in KL.
If the Perak MB was hell bent on getting flights from Ipoh to KL and other places, he should have used his influence and got permission for landing rights for the two Indon airlines, Merpati and Jentayu to do so. But will Tajol Rosli dare to fly in one of their planes?
Image - Source
posted by The Malaysian. at 7/01/2007 11:35:00 AM
1 Comments:
If one were to drive from Ipoh to KL, it would probably take 2 hours, depending on how fast or slow one drives. But if one decides to take a flight from Ipoh to KL, the timing would look something like this:
1. Drive to the airport 15 mins
2. Wait for the plan to take off 30 mins.
3. Flying time from Ipoh to KLIA 25 mins.
4. Disembarkation 15 mins.
5. Driving time from KLIA to KL City 60 mins.
Total : approximately 2 hours 42 mins.[This is only a conservative assumption without taking into account of flight delay, etc]. Let's face it, the airport is and will be a white elephant at the taxpayers' expenses.
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