Defence minister says Langkawi suitable, strategic for Lima, no need for change of venue

The government believes that Langkawi should be retained as the venue for the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (Lima) due to its highly strategic location and suitability for hosting the biennial event, the Dewan Negara was told.

Defence Minister Mohamad Hasan said Langkawi, which has been the venue for Lima since 1991, has an airport and open spaces to accommodate various types of aircraft and ships, along with strategically located sea areas and adequate infrastructure. 

"At the recent Lima '23, over 100 aircraft were there (in Langkawi) for the aerobatic show and static displays, including military, commercial and private jets. So, we need a highly suitable area to accommodate these aircraft and ships.

"...because for the aerobatic show, we need to close the air space for approximately four hours and turn it into a no-flying zone, which would disrupt public flight traffic. That's why we hold Lima in Langkawi, as its waters are also a sheltered harbour with suitable depth."

Mohamad said this in reply to Senator Jefridin Atan who wanted to know whether there was any proposal for Lima to be held outside Langkawi considering the high demand from the people outside Langkawi, in addition to being able to attract more visitors to attend this event and further strengthen the brand.

Mohamad said that in addition to its strategic location, Langkawi also has approximately 15 internationally recognised hotels to accommodate visitors and attendees from within and outside the country.

"Even then, it's not enough. All the homestays were fully booked, thousands of people came," he said, adding that 600 exhibitors from 13 countries participated in Lima '23.

The minister said Lima received a very encouraging response from various countries, with some attempting to confirm their participation at the last minute, but had to be rejected due to various factors, including a lack of space.

"For example, five countries were involved in the air show, plus us (Malaysia), there were already six. Two other teams wanted to perform but waited until the very last minute to confirm, so we had to turn them down," he explained.

Following this, Mohamad said he had personally proposed to the Dewan Rakyat to have the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre to be expanded to accommodate the rising number of exhibitors from other countries.