Standing Room @ Penang International Airport
Sep 23rd, 2009 by Steven
This cam-phone image was taken not too long ago at Penang’s Bayan Lepas International Airport (BLIA). I’d arrived at the airport early. With some 3 hours to spare before my flight’s ETD I took a stroll along the departure hall. I came upon passengers seated on the floor, OMG! Can you imagine an airport of ‘international’ status not having sufficient seats for passengers waiting for their flight departures?
If I were among those in that group of outbound passengers, I would definitely be disappointed. BTW they were flying Air Asia. Hmmm, does this change the entire perception of the scenario? Perhaps, budget travellers have to live with such inconvenience. Right? Wrong?
PostScript – BLIA is reportedly the second largest international airport after KLIA. But I think its status will probably be upstaged by other airports which are undergoing expansion and upgrading works, notably the Kota Kinabalu International Airport where the works include a massive makeover of the existing terminal building and expanding the runway. That said, press reports say Malaysia Airports Holding plans to spend RM250 million on BLIA’s upgrading and expansion; the 2-year project will start end-2009.