RM500,000 a year to power Mulu airstrip

MIRI: Malaysia Airports Bhd (MAB) spends half-a-million ringgit a year on diesel to run Mulu Airstrip.

MAB bought the commodity at RM6.80 per litre instead of RM1.70 from the pump, airport manager Kamaruzzaman Razali disclosed at a meeting with Miri City Council mayor Lawrence Lai who made a courtesy call on him at his office here yesterday.

Kamaruzzaman said the power generator was not solely used for the airstrip but also for the Department of Civil Aviation to operate the control tower and terminal.

He said MAB would like to buy the commodity at normal or reduced prizes in order to lower the operation cost of the airport, which was the gateway for tourists to the renowned Mulu National Park, and also the local community.

Aware of the importance of Mulu as the jewel in the state’s tourism industry, MAB recently beefed up the airstrip’s security, and fire and rescue system.

Kamaruzzaman also said that they would work closely with the police in light of reports that illegal immigrants were making use of rural airstrips as their entry point into this division.

“We have been made to understand that some illegal immigrants use rural airstrips such as in Marudi and Lawas to come here. We are working with the police like checking their passport when they arrive at the airport.

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