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PETALING JAYA: Transport Minister Anthony Loke has released a short video explaining why budget airline Firefly has suspended all flights into Singapore’s Seletar airport from Dec 1.
theSun reported yesterday that a disaster could happen, with thousands of lives at risk, if Singapore proceeds to use the disputed Instrument Landing System (ILS) procedures for its Seletar Airport, that involves an approach-for-landing flight path that encroaches into Malaysian airspace.
Malaysia is objecting to the use of ILS, which Singapore will implement from Jan 3, and its impact on Pasir Gudang, Johor.
The ILS is a precision runway approach aid. It guides pilots when landing during bad weather or low visibility conditions.
Loke’s Facebook post explained and while Malaysia does not deny its safety feature, the objection is to the flight path.
Seletar is only 2km from Pasir Gudang and under the ILS, the height buffer for the flight path goes as low as 54m at point 1 (3km from Pasir Gudang) and its highest point is 145m at 6km away.
The height buffer means that even a mobile crane (max height of 103m) would breach the height limit, the video said.
There are many tall buildings in Pasir Gudang port and they will be subjected to higher risks and multiple restrictions, it added.
“Our position is clear, we’re not against Seletar but as far as the descending flight path is concerned it cannot be over Pasir Gudang,” Loke said.
“We urge Singapore to withdraw the ILS announcement and to amend the flight path as per our request for entry from the southern part.”
A source told theSun this was because it would be very hazardous to approach Seletar by flying over Pasir Gudang, with the flight path directly over several chemical plants in the area, including two that produces chlorine.
“It could be a (potential) disaster should there be a mishap and a plane hits or drops a part onto a chlorine holding tank or pipeline,“ said the source.
“The result would be catastrophic, and the death toll would be unimaginable. It can run into the thousands, if not hundreds of thousands.”
Watch the video here:
