logo
KLIA undergoes RM3mil green makeover for Visit Malaysia 2026

KLIA undergoes RM3mil green makeover for Visit Malaysia 2026

The Star17-07-2025
SEPANG: A new RM3mil green landscaping project to beautify the surroundings of KL International Airport (KLIA) ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026 is set to be completed by early next year, says Nga Kor Ming.
The Housing and Local Government Minister revealed that the project will bring noticeable aesthetic improvements to the main entrances of KLIA Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
The roads leading out from both terminals will also receive a green makeover, with various new plants added along the path for a more natural look.
Themed "Harmony in Diversity," the project will include plants such as Teh Pagar (commonly used for hedges), Mexican Petunia, Willow Leaf, and Green Aralia.
The final stretch of road before exiting KLIA is expected to feature a new large signboard, decorated with batik patterns and plants, with the words "Welcome to Malaysia" displayed prominently as visitors drive away from the airport.
The drop-off areas of the terminals are also set to become much livelier with new vertical landscape walls planned to be added along the sidewalks and attached to the pillars, featuring an arrangement of various plant species and batik patterns.
"This project will play a vital role in strengthening KLIA's image as our premier national entry gateway, showcasing both our unique cultural diversity and environmental commitment to visitors.
"The landscape development commitment reflects the continuous efforts of the government in enhancing public spaces and creating a more sustainable, livable, and conducive environment for the overall well-being of the community.
"It also aligns with our ambition to further prepare for and promote Visit Malaysia 2026 next year," he said in a press conference at KLIA on Thursday (July 17).
Nga noted that the design of the project would be developed entirely by the National Landscape Department in collaboration with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).
He added that the project is estimated to take at least six months to complete, with maintenance works to be handled by the project's contractor until Dec 2026, after which it will be handed over entirely to MAHB.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bear necessities: Preserving nature's farmers
Bear necessities: Preserving nature's farmers

The Sun

time4 hours ago

  • The Sun

Bear necessities: Preserving nature's farmers

WHEN Tourism Malaysia unveiled the sun bears Wira and Manja as mascots of Visit Malaysia 2026, many gushed over their cuteness that could rival pop culture favourites Paddington and Winnie the Pooh. The smallest and rarest of its kind, these bears have not always enjoyed the spotlight. Even so, their population have fallen victim to poachers, deforestation and industrialisation. The lack of education on sun bears is the crux of the issue as our ignorance contributed to the negligence of these creatures and the preservation of their habitat. To learn more about these gentle beasts, theSun sat down with wildlife biologist Dr Wong Siew Te, who has spent his life working to preserve the dwindling population of sun bears. Sun bear mission Wong started his mission 27 years ago when he was chosen to study wild sun bears' ecology in Sabah. What began as a scientific study turned into a passion project for the man affectionately known as Papa Bear. 'After knowing about sun bears, I started to care for them. During my study, I realised a lot of 'bad things' happen to them.' He shared that the bears' forest is being actively destroyed by human activities – not only that, but they are also poached to be kept as pets. 'In 2004, I did a survey of captive sun bears across Sabah, Sarawak and West Malaysia. And since I know about sun bears more than anybody else, it has to be me helping the government conserve them.' Heading the call, Wong knew in his heart that his destiny was to help the sun bears regain their place in nature amid their dwindling population. 'The only way to do it is to establish a conservation centre to help out with captive (ex-pet) sun bears, and conduct a series of conservation work to help this species.' At heart of the sun bear conservation efforts is creating awareness and educating the masses about these gentle beasts, Wong said. Nature's farmer He highlighted the ecological importance of sun bears to our environment, especially for seed dispersal – a process in which the plants/fruits' seeds are transported to new sites for germination. 'Sun bears are very 'important forest planters',' he said, adding that they also feed on termites (microcerotermes) that are notorious for attacking live trees, further emphasising their importance to the ecosystem. Wong dubbed them the 'forest doctors and engineers' as they help keep it healthy and are somewhat responsible for 'reshaping its infrastructure'. An indispensable key character of the Borneo ecosystem, he noted that sun bears, also known as honey bears, feed on honey produced by stingless bees who would build their hives on tree tops. They will climb up top and use their sharp teeth to rip the trees open to get honey – and then, the ripped tree will be repurposed as nests by many other animals, including hornbills, flying squirrels, owls, parrots and more. They also contribute to the soil nutrient cycle by digging for earthworms and termites, just like farmers ploughing fields before laying their crops. However, these nature farmers have fallen prey to industrialisation as deforestation slowly rips them off their habitat. Not only that, but Wong also said the increasing road kill cases pose a threat to the sun bears. But, poaching remains their main threat. Nature-based tourism Poverty is one of the reasons poaching is prevalent, said Wong. So, nature-based tourism not only helps the sun bears, but also the locals. 'In Sabah, we help the locals through nature-based tourism.' Wong explained when tourists come to visit nature, they inadvertently help create jobs and improve the locals' livelihood. He believes this alternative is a direct solution to poaching, which has, unfortunately, become a means of survival for the locals. 'Through nature-based tourism, we create an incentive for the local people to protect wildlife. 'For example, our centre is very dependent on nature-based tourists to help and support, generate revenues, (used) to run our operation.' Listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016, the sun bears' vulnerable position means all hands on deck. And that includes coexisting with the sun bears. Wong said: 'Besides visiting their villages to do community outreach programmes and educate them, we also engage with them because we are an ecotourism hotspot.' He shared that the tokens in the souvenir shops are handicrafts from the local community, and every purchase by a tourist keeps the locals' economy alive. At the centre itself, he said, they have 42 full-time staff and himself, who is the only one from West Malaysia, as the rest are hired locally. On sun bears being the mascot of Visit Malaysia 2026, Wong expressed pride and urged us to be equally as proud to have a native species, scientifically known as Helarctos malayanus, representing our country. 'It will surely raise awareness,' he said, adding that this move will help grow the economy, which will evidently help the conservation of sun bears. But, Wong mentioned, good management is still essential for an ethical nature-based tourism, so the native flora and fauna do not get exploited. That said, this feat is not a one man show – hence, Yayasan Hasanah has been key in building the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, having featured in The Hasanah Report 2024, which highlights the impactful work of everyday Malaysians, Wong shared. This concomitantly aides nature-based tourism in Sabah as it raises awareness by investing in meaningful initiatives. Ensuring the future generation will still have forests to trek and flowers to smell, caring for our animals, key figures of the ecosystem, is our burden to bear. Let it not be that the only way our kids learn about animals is through screens and book pages.

MAHB: KLIA, Penang Airport add five new routes, strengthen Malaysia's aviation hub status
MAHB: KLIA, Penang Airport add five new routes, strengthen Malaysia's aviation hub status

Malay Mail

timea day ago

  • Malay Mail

MAHB: KLIA, Penang Airport add five new routes, strengthen Malaysia's aviation hub status

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 — KL International Airport (KLIA) and Penang International Airport (PEN) strengthened Malaysia's position as a global aviation hub with the addition of five new international air services in June 2025. Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) said in a statement that two of the new services were introduced by new airline partners, enhancing cross-border connectivity and regional access. Cambodia Airways (KR) launched a twice-weekly service between Phnom Penh and PEN, while Juneyao Air (HO) began operating four weekly flights from Shanghai to KLIA, boosting travel options for passengers from China and the wider East Asia region. In addition, MAHB said three new routes were introduced by existing airline partners, reflecting continued confidence in Malaysia's aviation market. 'Batik Air Malaysia commenced a twice-weekly service between KLIA and Dili, Timor-Leste; AirAsia Cambodia introduced a thrice-weekly route connecting KLIA to Sihanoukville; and AirAsia began operating four weekly flights between KLIA and Darwin, Australia,' MAHB said. In June, MAHB including its asset in Turkiye, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (ISG) handled a total of 12.7 million passenger movements. 'Of this, local airports in Malaysia contributed 68 per cent or 8.5 million passenger movements, comprising 4.2 million international and 4.3 million domestic travellers. ISG recorded 4.1 million total passenger movements, comprising 2.2 million international and 1.9 million domestic in June,' MAHB said. Meanwhile, on the local front, MAHB said Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB) posted notable month-on-month growth in June, with passenger movements rising 9 per cent from 138,000 in May to 151,000. The airport operator noted that international traffic at SZB grew by over 10 per cent to 40,000 passengers, while domestic movements climbed nearly 9 per cent to 111,000. MAHB attributed this upward trend to strong average load factors of over 70 per cent on key regional routes operated by Firefly Airlines to Seletar, Scoot to Changi, and TransNusa Airlines to Jakarta. While the increased domestic travel was also spurred by the harvest festival in Sabah and Sarawak, as well as Hari Raya Haji celebrations coinciding with school holidays. — Bernama

KLIA, Penang airport welcome five new international air services
KLIA, Penang airport welcome five new international air services

The Sun

timea day ago

  • The Sun

KLIA, Penang airport welcome five new international air services

KUALA LUMPUR: KL International Airport (KLIA) and Penang International Airport streng-thened Malaysia's position as a global aviation hub with the addition of five new international air services in June 2025. Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) said in a statement that two of the new services were introduced by new airline partners, enhancing cross-bor-der connectivity and regional access. Cambodia Airways launched a twice-weekly service between Phnom Penh and Penang, while Juneyao Air began operating four weekly flights from Shanghai to KLIA, boosting travel options for passengers from China and the wider East Asia region. In addition, MAHB said three new routes were introduced by existing airline partners, re-flecting continued confidence in Malaysia's aviation market. 'Batik Air Malaysia commenced a twice-weekly service between KLIA and Dili, Timor-Leste; AirAsia Cambodia introduced a thrice-weekly route connecting KLIA to Sihanoukville; and AirAsia began operating four weekly flights between KLIA and Darwin, Australia,' MAHB said. In June, MAHB including its asset in Turkiye, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (ISG) handled a total of 12.7 million passenger movements. 'Of this, local airports in Malaysia contributed 68% or 8.5 million passenger movements, comprising 4.2 million international and 4.3 million domestic travellers. ISG recorded 4.1 million total pass-enger movements, comprising 2.2 million international and 1.9 million domestic in June,' MAHB said. Meanwhile, on the local front, MAHB said Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport posted notable month-on-month growth in June, with passenger movements rising 9% from 138,000 in May to 151,000. The airport operator noted that international traffic at SZB grew by over 10% to 40,000 passengers, while domestic movements climbed nearly 9% to 111,000. MAHB attributed this upward trend to strong average load factors of over 70% on key regional routes operated by Firefly Airlines to Seletar, Scoot to Changi, and TransNusa Airlines to Jakarta. While the increased domestic travel was also spurred by the harvest festival in Sabah and Sarawak, as well as Hari Raya Haji celebrations coinciding with school holidays. – Bernama

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store