Lim asked Wee to explain if the project would be carried out as scheduled or if a decision would only be made after 2023.

Wee previously said in the Dewan Rakyat that the proposed project would be suspended, pending the results of a National Airport Strategic Plan (NASP) study, due to be completed in 2023.

In response, Lim said waiting until then would be unfair to the people of Penang as the airport was already at maximum capacity.

“If you need to temporarily suspend it, don’t wait until after 2023,” he told a press conference, adding that waiting till then would be nothing short of a cancellation of the project.

He also asked Wee if there was a political motive behind the suspension.

“This is unfair and unreasonable because under Pakatan Harapan, the project was already approved,” he said.

He said the project was to be fully undertaken by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) as the company had decided it would generate profits.

He said MAHB has submitted a management plan application to the Penang city council, which was subsequently approved last December.

Recently, the Penang government asked for the proposed expansion of the airport to be excluded from the NASP study being conducted.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said he had conveyed the request to Wee at the National Physical Planning Council meeting last week, adding that Wee had agreed to look into his request.

He said Wee had previously stated the ministry would not consider any application for airport upgrades until the NASP study was completed.