US$80m to redevelop Terminal 2 in Subang

By Sharen Kaur

TERMINAL 2 at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Selangor, will be redeveloped for about US$80 million (RM261.2 million) this year to accommodate growth in turboprop operations, sources said.

The redevelopment is an expansion of the SkyPark Terminal (formerly known as Terminal 3), which has eight parking bays and five remote parking spots.

"The airport apron is shared by several operators and is running about 40 per cent beyond capacity, with some planes double parking. It is crucial to redevelop Terminal 2 and cater for additional requirements," said a source.

Terminal 2 has been sitting idle since 1998 when the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang started operations.

The redevelopment will be undertaken by Subang SkyPark Sdn Bhd (SSSB).

SSSB won a 59-year concession from Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to redevelop Terminal 2 and 3 in 2008 for about RM300 million. The deal included building five hangers for RM100 million.

"SSSB is awaiting approvals from MAHB. It is targeting to start redeveloping Terminal 2 in the third or fourth quarter of this year," said a source.

According to the source, SSSB will spend around US$50 million to construct a new terminal building with a floor space of 300,000 to 400,000 sq ft, as well as retail and commercial facilities.

He said the airport apron, with more than 20 aircraft bays, will be built by MAHB for between US$25 million and US$30 million.

MAHB has demolished the Eurocopter Malaysia facility at Terminal 2 to make way for the apron. Eurocopter Malaysia moved to a new facility opposite SkyPark Terminal about 10 months ago.

When the redevelopment is completed in 2016, both SkyPark Terminal and Terminal 2 will have a combined passenger handling capacity of five million.

SkyPark Terminal houses the operations of Firefly, Malindo Air, Berjaya Air, VistaJet and Westair.

According to the MAHB website, aircraft movement at SkyPark Terminal had grown by 16.3 per cent to 74,008 in 2012 from 63,616 in 2010, the first year it started operations.

The number of passengers handled by the terminal had surpassed its one-million capacity.

The source said Firefly and Malindo Air, which operate 14 and five turboprops, respectively, are expanding their fleet to 17 and 13, respectively, by the end of this year.