LUMUT: The airport at Pangkor Island will be upgraded, says Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.

       The Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) chairman said the runway will be extended to accommodate bigger airplanes.

       "Currently, the runaway is only 0.732km long.

       "We are planning to extend it to 1.5km," he said after welcoming the inaugural SKS Airways flight from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang to the island on Tuesday (Jan 25).

       "The upgrade will allow the airport to land airplanes that could carry up to 70 passengers and crew per flight," he added.

       Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, who was also present, said the state always welcomes initiatives to bring more tourists to the tax-free island.

       "The inaugural flight by SKS Airways will definitely boost the number of tourists to this island.

       "I was informed that the inaugural flight took 55mins to arrive from Subang and carried 19 passengers and crew members," he said.