Senai International Airport (Senai) and Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) have teamed up to offer their excellent regional and international sea-air-road-rail connection facilities to international agencies rushing in aid to the tsunami affected areas.

In a joint statement on Jan 3, the port and airport operating companies said difficulties in reaching the tsunami stricken areas could be overcome with the use of the multimodal facilities available in Johor, with its close proximity to Sumatra.

The multi-modal synergy between Senai and PTP would enable effective redistribution of essential relief items by sea or air. There is a minimal distance of 30km to 40km between the airport and the port.

“Both Senai and PTP have the capacity and capabilities to act as a staging point for international relief operations currently underway for the tsunami stricken areas and in particular, the devastated province of Aceh,” the two companies said.

Senai is also suitable for this role of receiving long-range aircraft that will need landing and refueling services, including those using the trans Pacific route from the US west coast to hard-hit Sri Lanka, they added.