MALACCA'S new airport terminal has just been opened and it will soon be possible to fly from Singapore to Malaysia's famous Historic City.

The RM131.5 million project, which includes extending the runway to enable bigger airplanes like the Boeing A737 and Airbus 320 to land, is part of an ambitious plan by the Malacca government to get out of the shadow of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport nearby.

The expanded facility, which has been simply Malacca airport for years, has been renamed Malacca International Airport.

Malacca wants to pull tourists directly from Singapore and Indonesia, instead of having them fly through KLIA. KLIA is about an hour away from the Malacca city centre.

The first flight by Indonesia's Riau Airlines using a Fokker aircraft landed in Malacca International Airport on Monday morning. It flew in from Pekan Baru in Sumatra.

On Sept 1, Firefly - the budget wing of Malaysia Airlines - is scheduled to fly between Singapore and Malacca on a Fokker also.
Firefly, by the way, will also from next month be flying between Singapore and Ipoh, Perak.

Malacca’s Chief Minister Ali Rustam said he wants the state to be the choice destination for medical tourism - ie for people seeking specialised treatment from liposuction to heart treatment and breast enlargement.

And of course, there is the must-see tour of Old Malacca and its street food that the state is famous for.

All well and good, so far.

But the worry is whether Malacca International Airport would be able to pull in enough tourist volume to justify the spending to enlarge the airport.

Datuk Seri Ali said he expects 1.5 million tourists to fly through the state's airport within three years, according to The Star newspaper on Wednesday.

That is a very ambitious target. He did not say how many foreign tourists currently visit the state.

This is because for one, folks from KL - who make up the bulk of tourists to Malacca - will continue to drive to the state - just 1-1/2 hours away.

This means Malacca will have to bank on foreign tourists.

Are there enough Indonesians coming through? I don't think so.

The bulk of those who have been coming directly into Malacca from Sumatra are in fact low-spending tourists and those seeking work. Most have been coming by ferries for years to save on costs.

Some stay back illegally after managing to secure employment in KL and its surrounding Klang Valley.

The Indonesians who do fly into Malaysia, the higher-spending ones presumably, fly into KLIA for short holidays.

And those seeking medical treatment often fly to Penang - Malaysia's best known hub for medical tourism.

So that leaves the hope that the bulk of foreign tourists would come from Singapore.

We all know that many business people from Singapore land at KLIA daily. They cut deals, oversee projects or help in troubleshooting in ventures in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya for a day to a few weeks before flying back.

Those Singaporeans who do go to Malacca, often do so for holidays.

They often drive up in with their families for the weekend. Some drive up in convoys.

To make the airport viable, the Malaccan authorities will have to persuade these Singaporean tourists to start buying return tickets for all their family members. That is going to be more pricey than a driving holiday.

Still, it is not a lost cause because taking a flight from Changi airport right into Malacca is more convenient than the hassle of passing through the Causeway or Second Link.

It is also safer than driving a Singapore-plated car on a Malaysian highway.