ALOR STAR: The Sultan Abdul Halim Airport runway, closed since Nov 29 due to severe flooding, is expected to reopen by next week.
Second Finance Minister Senator Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the cleaning-up progress on the submerged runway is going smoothly.
"Insya-Allah (God willing), the Sultan Abdul Halim Airport will reopen next week, but it will depend on the CAAM (Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia) and MAHB (Malaysia Airport Holding Bhd)," he told reporters after inspecting the airport cleaning up works today.
Last Friday, it was reported that Malaysia Airports issued a travel advisory on the runway's temporary closure following the issuance of a civil aviation authority notice (Notam) by the authorities.
Meanwhile, Sultan Abdul Halim Airport manager Ikram Alif Mansoor said efforts are underway to reopen the airport runway as soon as possible.
However, he stressed that safety aspect remains the top priority.
"We aim to reopen it as quickly as possible, but, if necessary, we may extend the closure by an additional one or two days to ensure everything is in order before resuming operations," he told reporters after briefing Amir on the clean-up progress at the airport.
Ikram said the clean-up and repair works were still ongoing, with the focus now on clearing critical areas, particularly the runway that had been completed.
Based on an assessment carried out so far, no major damage has been identified on the 2.7km runway, which was submerged under 50cm of water, while the taxiway was inundated by 80cm, he said.
Ikram said between 20 and 24 inbound and outbound flights to and from the airport had been cancelled since the runway was closed for the past week.