Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said approval had been obtained for planning permission for the master plan of the project, enabling the development to be implemented as planned.

“Overall, Pila will be capable of handling cargo capacity of up to 500,000 tonnes per year by 2050, with the provision of over two million square feet of warehouse space.

“For the first phase, the air cargo warehouse being developed is expected to support an additional capacity of up to 100,000 tonnes per year,” he said in a statement today.

Pila is a strategic joint venture project between Penang Development Corporation and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd to develop a new cargo terminal, to strengthen the logistics ecosystem in the northern region and support the growth of the state’s industrial sector.

Chow said the strategic collaboration was important in meeting the logistics needs of the semiconductor and electrical and electronics industries in the future, in line with the aspirations of Penang2030 Vision, the State Structure Plan 2030 and the expansion of Penang International Airport.