Sultan Ismail Petra airport expansion works begins April - Mustapa

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the project was necessary to accommodate the growing number of passengers.

He said LTSIP's maximum capacity was 1.5 million passengers a year, but in 2019 it had to handle 1.8 million passengers.

"The government has agreed to appoint WCT Bhd as the contractor of this project with a cost of RM440 million.

"On-site work is scheduled to begin in April and the project is expected to be completed in mid-2024," he said in a statement here today.

Mustapa said the main component of the project involves the construction of a new terminal building with separate arrival and departure halls.

Once ready, the new terminal will be able to handle four million passengers a year, besides also having a multi-storey car park.

"Five more aerobridges will be added to make it eight in total, while there will be more vehicle entry and exit points as well," he said.

"This will be one of the largest projects in Kelantan that will help improve domestic air connectivity," Mustapa added.