MIRI: Facilities at Miri Airport continue to be improved to ensure the comfort and safety of users, with an upgrade of three new escalators now completed and fully operational.

Sarawak Minister for Transport, Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin said the replacement of the escalators, which cost RM810,000, was urgently needed as the old facilities had suffered from damage over the past few years.

“Finally, after working hard to obtain approval to replace three old escalators that were frequently damaged, they have now all been replaced with new ones.

“These escalators have been inspected and approved by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) for use starting today,” he said while conducting an inspection of the new escalator facilities at the Miri Airport terminal, on Friday.

According to Dato Sri Lee, although the replacement work was completed a month earlier, its use was only allowed after DOSH requested that safety aspects be improved by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).

The three new escalators are equipped with modern safety features, including LED lights under the handrails and at the edges of the steps, as well as green and red LED lights at the entrance and exit to indicate the direction of upward and downward movement.

In another development, Dato Sri Lee, while inspecting the upgrading work of four sets of public toilets at the airport terminal, requested airport goers to be patient while improvement work is being carried out, which is expected to be completed by the end of November 2025.

“These toilet improvement works will provide better comfort to users when completed,” he said.

In addition, he also shared that three Passenger Boarding Bridges which were often damaged before have also been replaced with new units, involving an expenditure of RM4.5 million.

Dato Sri Lee explained that this improvement effort is a temporary measure before the Miri Airport terminal expansion project is implemented at a later date.

“We are currently in the proposal and preparation stage for the terminal expansion. The new terminal will accommodate three categories of international, interstate and domestic (Sarawak) flights,” he said.

He also expressed his appreciation to MAHB and the Ministry of Transport for their cooperation in upgrading Miri’s airport facilities which acts as the main gateway to the northern part of Sarawak.

“These projects are important to improve the image and comfort of Miri Airport, while we work towards the terminal expansion project which has been long awaited by the people,” he added. -UKASnews