Share
KUALA LUMPUR: KUB Bhd, tasked with building the runway and taxiways for klia2, said it was not one of the contractors that had caused the delay of the low-cost carrier terminal.
“Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has announced that some contractors have been causing delays. I am proud to say KUB is not one of these contractors,” said CEO Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Wan Ahmad.
“The runways and taxiways are 85% completed and we are on track to deliver our packages on time,” he told reporters yesterday after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between KUB and Datacom Systems (Asia) Sdn Bhd.
KUB is building the 4km runway for klia2 as well as the taxiways that link the runway to the aircraft stands, a job worth RM260 million.
On Wednesday, MAHB announced that it would be seeking compensation from contractors that had caused the delay in the opening of klia2, which was scheduled for June 28.
However, the airport operator did not reveal the contractors that it would bill to for the delay.
Wan Mohd Nor refuted earlier reports that the delays had been caused by soil settlement issues due to the relocation of the airport to peat swamp land with notoriously soft soil.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar and DAP national publicity chief Tony Pua had earlier condemned MAHB for moving the location of klia2 from the north to the west where the soil consists of saturated mineral clay with an overlay of peat material.
They highlighted that the soil conditions are not suitable for the construction of the airport without undertaking significant engineering measures to improve the load-bearing capacity.
The construction of an airport’s runway is most problematic with the soil settlement as the runway covers a wide area and must be durable to very heavy loads, said industry players.
WCT Bhd and Gadang Holdings Bhd, which laid the earthworks, managed to deliver their packages on time for the project.
This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on May 31, 2013.
This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on May 31, 2013.
