| Malacca Airport, Malacca Lapangan Terbang Melaka 马六甲机场 |
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|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: MKZ – ICAO: WMKM | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Government of Malaysia | ||
| Operator | Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad | ||
| Serves | Malacca & Northern Johor, West Malaysia | ||
| Location | Batu Berendam, Malacca, West Malaysia | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 35 ft / 11 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 03/21 | 2,135 | 7,004 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2010) | |||
| Passenger movements | 21,687 | ||
| Airfreight movements in tonnes | 144 | ||
| Aircraft movements | 60,811 | ||
| Source: official web site[1] and DAFIF[2][3] | |||
Malacca Airport (IATA: MKZ, ICAO: WMKM) (formerly known as Batu Berendam Airport is an airport located in Batu Berendam, Malacca in Malaysia. The Airport serves the city and the state of Melaka, as well as northern Johor.
The airport, which occupies 141 acres (0.57 km2) of land, was built in 1952.
The airport and particularly its control tower bears historical significance as it was the same tower which guided the plane of Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, to land from London on 20 February 1956. It was in Malacca that Tunku announced the date for the independence of then Malaya from the United Kingdom. Considering the historical nature of this control tower, the Chief Minister of Malacca, Mohd Ali Rustam is attempting to save the tower, by either relocating it, or by changing plans to incorporate the tower.[4]
Currently, the airport services Wings Air, Sky Aviation and Firefly (collaborate with Melaka state government via Melaka Air) which operates flights from Pekanbaru 3 times per week by Wings Air .By Sky Aviation 2 times per week from Pekan Baru and 5 times per week from Tanjong Pinang. From Subang to Medan via Melaka 2 times per week by Firefly.[5] Malacca has become a popular destination for health care and medical tourism from Indonesia, particularly Sumatera. This has greatly increased the passenger influx through the airport, with all three private hospitals in the city operating regular free shuttle-bus services to and from the airport.
The airport is also used as the base of the Malaysian flying academy (MFA), which has been operating out of the airport since 1987.
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The airport had an earth breaking ceremony on April 1, 2006, and is currently undergoing an upgrade, due to be completed by 29 April 2009. The runway is being upgraded from 1372 x 37 meters, to 2045 x 45 meters, allowing Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft to take off. The terminal complex is being replaced by a new 7,000 square-meter terminal equipped with international-standard amenities. The control tower is being replaced and complemented with advanced aeronautical devices. Both ends of the runway will contain facilities to guide night landing and better assure safety in bad weather conditions.
In March 2009, Mohd Ali Rustam announced that the runway extension will be completed by October 2009 after a loan of RM65 million was approved by the Federal Government.[6][7]
On May 2009, the new terminal was officially opened. The new terminal could handle 1.5 million passengers annually as opposed to the 30,000 of the old terminal. The airport was visited by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on February 2010. In his visit, he officially renamed the airport Malacca International Airport.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Wings Air | Pekan Baru |
| Sky Aviation | Pekan Baru, Tanjung Pinang |
| Melaka Air operated by Firefly * | Medan, Subang |
Firefly* routes SZB-MKZ-MES-MKZ-SZB
| Years | Passenger Movements | Aircraft Movements | Cargo Movements in Metric Tonnes | Cargo Movements in Kilograms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 31,108 | 57,636 | 214 | 471 |
| 2004 | 46,692 | 70,369 | 602 | 1,327 |
| 2005 | 27,683 | 77,504 | 370 | 815 |
| 2006 | 18,509 | 74,880 | 146 | 321 |
| 2007 | 27,209 | 64,936 | 219 | 219,348 |
| 2008 | 23,751 | 60,512 | 179 | 178,618 |
| 2009 | 18,576 | 54,160 | 179 | 178,618 |
| 2010 | 21,687 | 60,811 | 144 | 144 |