It will cater to both air passengers and non-travellers
SENAI: The Senai International Airport is to be remodelled into a community airport and new lifestyle hub in the Senai-Skudai flagship development zone of Iskandar Malaysia.
Airport operator Senai Airport Terminal Services Sdn Bhd (SATS) deputy chief executive officer Shahrull Allam Shah Abdul Halim said as a community airport, it would cater to both air passengers and non-travellers.
“Airports no longer cater for just air travellers but also non-passengers to shop, dine and entertain,” he said in an interview with StarBiz recently.
He said the best example was Singapore’s Changi Airport Terminal Three, which has successfully attracted non-air travellers and residents from nearby areas to shop and dine there.
Under Iskandar Malaysia’s Comprehensive Development Plan, the Senai-Skudai area will house activities in the electrical and electronic, food products, agro-products, engineering-based industries, warehousing, logistic and airport services.
Development in the area is focused on the airport, hubs for cargo and knowledge, a multimodal centre and the MSC Cyberport City to provide the supporting services and workforce. “Aero Mall is currently under construction. Upon its completion in the first quarter next year, the mall will attract non-air travellers to the airport,” said Shahrull.
The mall also targets the business community, executives and senior managers working in the nearby industrial estates and the 192,000 residents (2005 figure) in the Senai-Kulai area.
The RM93mil mall is the first-stand alone and external airport mall in the country and is connected to the present airport terminal building.
An extension of the airport’s present retail section, the mall will increase the current retail area from 2,601.28 sq ft to 7,745.78 sq ft with 25 retail outlets.
Shahrull said tenants at the new mall would include Sox World, Starbucks, Laksa Shack, KFC, Kyros Kebab, Kinsahi Japanese Restaurant, MPH Bookstore and Secret Recipe.
He said SATS was looking to sign up a supermarket or department store operator for a dedicated retail lot of over 1,800 sq m.
Also in the pipeline was the 2.42ha Food Village, a project that would kick off in April and open for business in June, he said. The Food Village will offer Johor signature dishes such mee rebus, Muar mee bandung, nasi briyani, laksa Johor, and other Asian-style street and fusion food in a gazebo-style setting.
Shahrull said SATS would engage a private food and beverage operator that would be responsible for hiring individual tenants for the place.
There would also be a 2,787.09 sq m stand-alone fast food-chain outlet at the Food Village, run by one of the famous quick service restaurants in the world, he said.
“Malaysians eat around the clock, so the Food Village will open 24/7. It will also be the perfect place for air passengers, especially foreigners, to try our local cuisine,” said Shahrull.
Also to be developed on a 4.85ha site within the airport vicinity would be a mini theme park incorporating water features, slides and rock climbing, he said.
Aero Mall is part of the multi-billion ringgit Senai Aviation & Airport City development project and comes under SATS subsidiary, Enigma Harmoni Sdn Bhd.
Spanning over 1,133.10ha, the airport city project comprises three components – residential, commercial and hospitality amenities; an air cargo logistics centre and a high technology park.
MMC International Holdings Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of billionaire Tan Sri Syed Mohkhtar Al-Bukhary’s MMC Corp Bhd, has stakes in Senai Airport, Port of Tanjung Pelepas and Johor Port.
Opened in 1974, Senai Airport is managed by SATS, which took over the airport’s operations from Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd in 2003.
Source: The Star
