Aung Htein - Amyotha Hluttaw lawmaker Daw Htoot May put forward a proposal to upgrade Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Airport in the coming fiscal year during a regular session of the upper chamber on July 28.

Daw Htoot May told her fellow MPs that she had submitted the proposal with the aim of improving regional tourism, facilitating the trade of fisheries products from Arakan State to domestic and foreign markets in a timely manner, and attracting more international investment.

The current airport does not meet modern standards for passenger comfort or services, she said, citing the airport’s derelict bathroom facilities as an example.

“I experienced the door of the toilet for women cannot be closed well. The facility is not suitable for the elderly,” she said.

U Kyaw Myo, the deputy union minister for Transport and Communications, said the ministry has sought a total of K500 million (US$365,000) for the development of Kyaukphyu Airport in the 2020-2021 financial year.

After the proposed budget is allocated, the ministry plans to spend K400 million to extend the runway to 7,500 feet in length and 100 feet wide, U Kyaw Myo said. The ministry sought an additional K100 million to expand the airport terminal in the 2020-21 fiscal year, according to the deputy union minister.

If the budget request is approved, the terminal expansion would allow the airport to accommodate passengers from two ATR-72 planes, he said.

“The upgrading project would include building [improved] public restrooms and facilities to carry luggage systematically,” he told parliament.

The airport in Kyaukphyu was built during World War II, originally with a 2,500-foot-long runway made of steel sheets popularly known as Marston matting. It was upgraded in 1955 to a tarred runway 4,620 feet in length and 100 feet wide.

Though passenger volume remains light at the airport, ongoing construction of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and deep-sea port at Kyaukphyu is likely to increase demand for flights in the years to come.