Newly upgraded Kelantan airport turns into illegal racing spot
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A photo shared on social media of the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport. The airport has attracted youths on modified motorcycles who use the drop-off area outside the departure hall for high-speed and drag races.
The drop-off area outside the newly upgraded airport in Malaysia’s Kelantan state has been turned into a racetrack by illegal motorcycle racers, less than a month after the airport reopened, raising concerns over the safety of other users.
Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke on April 6 instructed the local authorities to conduct large-scale enforcement operations against the racers, known locally as mat rempit.
The Sultan Ismail Petra Airport had undergone a RM440 million (S$140 million) upgrade that took nearly two years, and fully reopened on March 19.
However, it has attracted young people on modified motorcycles who use the drop-off area outside the departure hall for high-speed and drag races as well as to perform dangerous stunts, reported Malay daily Sinar Harian.
“They turned this area into a racetrack. Some did wheelies, some drove against traffic and (engaged in) other activities,” a security officer at the airport told the newspaper.
The illegal races have been taking place since the fasting month of Ramadan, especially on Friday nights and weekend nights, with videos of the races going viral on social media.
In his statement, Mr Loke described the actions of the illegal racers as “sad and embarrassing”.
“The behaviour of these mat rempit in front of the departure hall of the new terminal not only endangers the lives of people using the airport, but it is also an act of sabotage against the state’s security and economic well-being,” he said.
Mr Loke said he has instructed the Road Transport Department (RTD) to carry out enforcement operations in the area, adding that anyone who trespasses in front of the airport will have his motorbike seized.
He also told the airport’s management to tighten control over entry and exit routes to the terminal building to prevent such incidents from recurring.
Kelantan RTD chief Mohd Misuari Abdullah said it conducted an enforcement operation at the airport on April 4.
One motorcycle was seized and a motorcyclist was issued a summons, Malay daily Harian Metro quoted him as saying on April 6.
“We will send officers to patrol the area, and we’ll discourage groups of motorcyclists from gathering there,” he added.
The newly upgraded airport will be able to serve four million passengers a year, up from 1.5 million.
It has more than 20 airline counters, a multi-storey carpark, special lanes for taxis, a fire-and-rescue station and additional space for aircraft to park.
