Qhazanah Sabah Bhd (QSB), the strategic investment arm of the Sabah government, also projected KKIA’s relocation to commence in 2030.

According to The Borneo Post, QSB chairman Yusof Yacob said it has submitted a feasibility study on the proposed project to the Sabah Economic Planning Unit (UPEN) and received positive response.

“Not long from now, it will be tabled to the Cabinet for approval. It will be implemented in stages. There will be coordination with stakeholders, including (property developer) Syarikat Berjaya Land Berhad, the transport ministry and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB),” he said.

Yusof said relocating KKIA to Kimanis would not just expand Sabah’s airports but facilitate the development of support services, such as an aerospace training centre and a new airport township spanning 15,000ha.

“The construction process is also designed to avoid disruption to the existing oil and gas terminal (SOGT) in the Kimanis area,” he said, adding that the Kimanis airport was a “long-term vision” for Sabah.

QSB signed a memorandum of understanding with Berjaya Land to explore relocating KKIA to Kimanis in June last year.

Transport consultant Rosli Azad Khan had opposed the idea, telling FMT that a new airport was not a priority for Sabah, with KKIA only seeing a plane landing or taking off every 12 minutes.

In comparison, he said, a plane would land or depart every two minutes at London’s Heathrow Airport, and every four minutes at Singapore’s Changi Airport.