This explanation came after Mukhriz Mahathir said ECK Development Sdn Bhd (ECK) had already made money by entering into a housing deal despite not paying a single sen for the project.

ECK denied the claims made by Mukhriz, saying it had paid what was due and had not profited from the project.

“ECK has not signed any agreement or dealt with any party. We have not made any profit or got any benefit as of now.

“We have been approached by investors interested in taking part in the airport and aerotropolis development.

“The aerotropolis is still subject to the approval to build the Kulim international airport,” a company spokesman told FMT.

ECK said it had paid what was due to KXP AirportCity Holdings Sdn Bhd, a Kedah government-linked company, upon signing the joint venture agreement. He did not reveal the amount paid.

The spokesman said the airport and the entire master plan had to be approved by the authorities first.

“The National Airports Strategic Plan must also be completed before the project can begin,” the spokesman said.

On Aug 2 last year, ECK signed a deal with the Kedah government to build the airport.

The airport is slated to be located on a 1,700ha site at Sidam Kiri, near Sungai Petani, and is expected to handle 15 million passengers per year once completed. The state had earlier expected its first flight as early as 2024.

In a statement on April 5, Mukhriz said the Kedah government had written to him saying that no money had been paid for the airport project.

He said the state was expecting ECK to pay RM6 billion for the first phase of the project, which included RM2 billion for land acquisition.

Mukhriz claimed ECK had entered into a deal with a real estate company to develop a housing area on part of the land acquired for the project without paying anything for the airport land.