THE Ba’kelalan STOLport (short take-off and landing airport) operated by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is vital for supplies distribution to isolated villages in Maligan Highlands, Sarawak.
MAHB said since the nationwide Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed on March 18 to prevent Covid-19 infections from spreading, the communities living in the villages have relied on air transport for medical supplies and essentials like sugar, cooking oil and flour.
In early April, the first food aid mission from Miri landed at the Ba’kelalan STOLport, it said.
“Our STOLports are critical hubs for vital supplies and services, as air travel is usually the fastest access to remote rural areas and settlements that are hard to reach by land,” said Michael Racha Agung, a Lun Bawang native working as an airport operative at the Ba’kelalan STOLport.
Ba’kelalan is a difficult eight-hour drive, half of which is on a tough logging road on a four-wheel drive, from the nearest town of Lawas.
“Our priority is to ensure airfields and landing strips are operating like clockwork so that flights and cargo can reach us safely,” he said.
MAHB operates 12 STOLports in Sarawak to provide reliable connectivity to isolated communities throughout the country, which is a key socio-economic contribution.
The STOLports also serve as links to more business prospects from other industry sectors, contributing to the local economic development.
According to MAHB, Ba’kelalan STOLport handles flights between Lawas STOLport, Bario STOLport and Miri Airport, which include four scheduled weekly flights by MASWing’s 18-seater Twin Otter planes to transport returning native residents, cargo helicopters and ad-hoc flights by Ministry of Health’s Flying Doctors of Malaysia medical services. – April 30, 2020, Bernama
