KKIA@Kimanis

KKIA @Kimanis was a proposed international airport located in Kimanis, Sabah. If constructed, it would have replaced the existing Kota Kinabalu International Airport.

The proposed location is at Kampung Mandahan, Kimanis, Papar, which is around 59km from Kota Kinabalu. The feasibility study will be done by Berjaya Land, with MOU being signed in June 2022 with Sabah state-owned strategic investment arm, Qhazanah Sabah Bhd.

Several meetings were done with the government authorities such as Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR), Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS), Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and many others. In May 2023, Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob, Chairman of Qhazanah Sabah Bhd (QSB) said that the second feasibility study on KKIA's relocation to Kimanis is almost complete. A year after the MOU was signed in July 2023, the feasibility study is completed and will be present to the Sabah Economic Planning Unit (EPU). Then, it will be brought to the State Cabinet for their approval.

In July 2023, the chairman of the state-owned strategic investment arm, Qhazanah Sabah Berhad, Yusof Yacob, claimed that representatives from the state investment arm had presented a feasibility study on the relocation of the airport to the Sabah Economic Planning Unit (EPU) and had met with Transport Ministry personnel about the proposal. The outcome was purportedly positive. He added that it would be up to the State Cabinet to approve the plans.

The relocation would develop an area of 6,070.5 hectares. Out of the total area, 2,023.5 hectares was for the airport while the remaining for supporting services, a new airport city, industrial and residential areas. It would also include expansion programmes for Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) for the Aeronautics or aeroplane related industry the aviation training centre.

In the wake of intense public opposition to the proposed relocation as well as a lack of political support, the State Government of Sabah has dissociated itself from the proposal. In January 2024, the Chief Minister of Sabah, Hajiji Noor stated that the current airport can still be used for at least 7 to 10 years and therefore, there's no immediate need to relocate the airport. He also dismissed calls from certain parties for the airport to be relocated merely to allow for more skyscrapers to be built in Kota Kinabalu. The issue was finally put to rest in March 2024 when the Federal Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke, confirmed during a session of the Malaysian Parliament that the Federal Government has no plans to relocate the airport and would instead look into expanding the current airport. Echoing the criticisms raised by the people of Sabah, Loke noted the distance of the proposed new airport from Kota Kinabalu as well as the significant costs which would be incurred to construct the same.

Criticisms
The proposal to relocate the airport to Kimanis is deeply unpopular and has received universal criticism from the people of Sabah, transportation industry experts as well as politicians from across the political spectrum. The main criticisms include:


 * questions as to how necessary it is to construct a new airport, considering that the data does not show that the current airport is operating beyond or close to its capacity;


 * the unsuitability of the proposed site for the new airport, which is in a rural location approximately 60km south of Kota Kinabalu and is currently not linked to Kota Kinabalu by any form of public transportation;


 * the added cost, hassle and inconvenience which would be caused to passengers having to travel between Kota Kinabalu and the new airport;


 * the absence of public transportation between Kota Kinabalu and the proposed site for the new airport, with no commitment having been made by the State Government to ensure that such facilities will be built;


 * the need to address more pressing infrastructural issues in Kota Kinabalu and Sabah more generally, especially given the limited resources available to the State government of Sabah;


 * the advantages of retaining the current airport, including its proximity to downtown Kota Kinabalu and the comparative ease of expanding the airport in the future due to its seaside location; and


 * the damage which would be caused to the economy of Kota Kinabalu should the airport be relocated to Kimanis, including the loss of job opportunities for the residents of Kota Kinabalu.

As there is no data and no cogent reasons to support the claim that Kota Kinabalu requires a new airport, there is a strong public sentiment that the construction of a new airport would be an unnecessary waste of funds and that the new airport would end up being a white elephant.

In terms of the political response, UMNO and Parti Warisan Sabah have both objected to the proposed new airport. The Member of Parliament for Kota Kinabalu, Chan Foong Hin, has also raised suspicions regarding the appointment of Berjaya Land to conduct the feasibility study, stating that Qhazanah Sabah has awarded many project contracts to Berjaya Land seemingly without an open tender being conducted.

Facilities
The proposed airport would feature at least two runways and more hangar facilities for general aviation operators.

Connectivity
The proposed new airport would be connected to Kota Kinabalu by the Pan-Borneo Highway WP04 which is currently under construction and also the existing Malaysia Federal Route 1 (Sabah). No public transportation is presently available between Kota Kinabalu and the site of the proposed new airport.