GEORGE TOWN: Among the hardest hit by the pandemic, taxi and limousine drivers based at the Penang International Airport (PIA) are counting the days when international travel will resume so that they can eke out a decent living.

       Limousine driver Jamaluddin Rashid said competition from e-hailing drivers had also resulted in many of them getting only one trip every three to five days.

       “The ‘pie’ is so small now that there aren’t enough passengers for all of us.

       “We will only see more people at the airport once international borders are reopened,” said the 73-year-old when met.

       Jamaluddin, who has been in the trade for 42 years, said while there was some consolation now that domestic travel was allowed, e-hailing drivers seemed to be the ones benefiting.

       “With no airport authorities or traffic police, e-hailing drivers can be seen picking up and dropping off passengers at areas designated for limousines and taxis,” he claimed.

       Another limousine driver Shaid Abdul Hamid, 72, said they would need to wait for international borders to reopen to survive.

       “We hope the authorities will look into our plight,” he said.

       Taxi driver Yusman Bidin, 50, said there used to be at least 300 limousines and taxis at the airport before the pandemic.

       “Today, there are only about 100 as many have left for other jobs.

       “We cannot sustain a living in the present environment.

       “The lifting of the interstate travel ban was not able to assist much. We need international borders to reopen to make a living,” he said.

       A check at the PIA, which was once a bustling airport, saw only a handful of passengers at the departure and arrival halls.

       Most of the food and shopping outlets were closed except for a noodles and donut cafe.

       The PIA expansion work has also come to a standstill as the government has put on hold proposals to build new airports and to upgrade existing ones until the aviation sector recovers.

       On Oct 5, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said upgrading works at the PIA, which were being carried out by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), would be postponed, with the government currently resolving several issues including land acquisition.

       Work on PIA’s multi-storey car park, which was to be completed in July, was also delayed.

       Penang infrastructure and transportation committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said he was told by MAHB that the movement control order had delayed construction supplies to the project.

       “They will complete the car park by year-end,” he said.

       Currently, the airport has a capacity of 6.5 million passengers per annum (mppa) and the first phase of expansion will increase the capacity to 12mppa.