Sikuati Airport rumour boosts prices of land
Published on: Monday, May 25, 2015
Kudat: The consultant for the Second Sabah Tourism Master Plan (yet to be known whether endorsed or approved by the decision makers) has proposed that another airport be built at Sikuati, here, to replace the Kudat Airfield, Sabah's northernmost airport, according to rumours.This has in effect hike up land prices in Sikuati, before the announcement of the 11th Malaysia Plan where Lawas, Sarawak's northernmost airport, instead was chosen for expansion.For example, three acres of flat land in Sikuati now command asking price up to RM500,000 near to RM30,000 per 10,000 square feet of housing lot next to the Kudat Airfield 10 years ago.
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The Kudat Airfield is constrained by land size for expansion to accommodate aircraft larger than Twin Otter turbo planes, one which caused a crash incident in the past smashing into a house in the housing estate surrounding the airfield. Then a single intermediate storey house at Taman Kudat would cost around RM55,000, now up to RM168,000 or more.Other rumours concern the shift of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport in future to Tuaran/Kota Belud flat terrain land so that Kota Kinabalu is free to construct or redevelop its buildings to higher levels, thus increasing their land values.Another marina is proposed at Tanjung Agal, here, where unlike Tanjung Aru Eco-Project next to the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, some super yachts supposedly would not want to moor because of the danger of jet fuel wake deposit menace to their paintwork. It is expensive to repaint a super yacht.Aluminium oxide, strontium, barium sulfate, and other heavy metals and "dust" / bioprecipitation are dumped by jet engines which also emit the usual things engines emit: carbon dioxide, smoke, and small amounts of unburnt hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and small amounts of other things that cause acid rain, according to some property experts. A super yacht is like a mobile detached mansion on the sea or ocean.
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What is sure is that the government is going to improve the air strip at Layang-Layang Atoll in the Spratlys claimed by Malaysia in the South China Sea off Kota Kinabalu, including its naval facilities which could be deemed also as improving the city but 99 per cent of the people will never set foot there reachable by chartered flights mostly Twin Otter Turbo plane.Kota Kinabalu is a frontline city in the tussle between the US and China over sphere of influence.
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The China government claiming all the Spratlys has already written officially to Malaysia (even before setting up its consulate in Kota Kinabalu) to desist any activity from Swallow Atoll or Layang-Layang, now a popular dive site with a naval outpost serviced by naval vessels and personnel from Sepanggar Naval Base.Whether the Kudat Airfield or a new Sikuati Airport is to be developed, it would serve as another forward airbase for Esscom and for the defence of the Spratlys within Malaysia's Exclusive Economic Zone under the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea which China is a signatory.The tussle between China and the US would continue to see port visits by US naval vessels some nuclear powered, putting Kota Kinabalu at some risk of a fallout if conflict erupted with a strike at nuclear powered vessels in the South China Sea or when docked in port here.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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