Melaka International Airport

Melaka International Airport
Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Melaka

Plan of the layout of the new Terminal
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Government of Malaysia
Operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
Serves Melaka, Malaysia
Location Batu Berendam, Malacca, Malaysia
Time zone MST (UTC+08:00)
Elevation AMSL 40 ft / 12 m
Coordinates 02°15′47″N 102°15′09″E / 2.26306°N 102.25250°E / 2.26306; 102.25250Coordinates: 02°15′47″N 102°15′09″E / 2.26306°N 102.25250°E / 2.26306; 102.25250
Map
WMKM

Location in West Malaysia

Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
03/21 2,135 7,005 Asphalt
Statistics (2015)
Passenger 69,710 (Increase 391.7%)
Airfreight (tonnes) Steady
Aircraft movements 19,800 (Decrease 16.6%)
Source: official web site[1]
AIP Malaysia[2]

Melaka International 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 7,000 m2 (75,000 sq ft) terminal complex is equipped with international-standard amenities that can handle 1.5 million passengers annually. The airport's 2135m runway allow Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 operations.

History

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 Melaka 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 Melaka, Mohd Ali Rustam is attempting to save the tower, by either relocating it, or by changing plans to incorporate the tower.[3]

Between 2008 and 2014, the airport was served by Sky Aviation which operated flights from Pekanbaru 5 times per week.[4] Flights ceased in 2014 when Sky Aviation suspended all operations.

“The state government is also discussing with Firefly and AirAsia to serve various routes via the Melaka Airport”.[5]

Malaysia's hybrid airline, Malindo Air, has launched its four-weekly flights from the Melaka International Airport, Batu Berendam here to Penang and Pekanbaru, Indonesia on 4 November 2014.

In 2016, Indonesia's hybrid airline, XpressAir has launched its four-weekly flights from the Melaka International Airport here to Pekanbaru, Indonesia on 29 April 2016. China Southern Airlines launched inaugural charter flight from Melaka International Airport here to Guangzhou, China on 29 September 2016. By the end of 2016, China Southern Airlines stopped its charter flights to Melaka.

The airport is also used as the base of the Malaysian Flying Academy (MFA), which has been operating out of the airport since 1987.

AirAsia group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said he had discussed with Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai in Putrajaya on 29 June 2016 for the potential of turning the Melaka International Airport into a Low-cost terminal. Tony said AirAsia want to use the Malacca airport but still haven’t been able to get MAHB to open the (Melaka) airport to AirAsia.[6]

AirAsia CEO Aireen Omar had visited to CM Melaka Idris Haron on 17 July 2017 and they have further discussion regarding operation of AirAsia in Melaka International Airport. CM Melaka hope that AirAsia can start operating in Melaka International Airport lately by November 2017. Flying routes from/to Melaka International Airport will be announce soon by AirAsia.[7]

New terminal entrance

New Terminal

Construction of a new terminal started on 1 April 2006. The runway was upgraded from 1,372 m × 37 m (4,501 ft × 121 ft), to 2,045 m × 45 m (6,709 ft × 148 ft) and is now 2,135 m × 45 m (7,005 ft × 148 ft), allowing Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft to take off. The terminal complex was replaced by a new 7,000 m2 (75,000 sq ft) terminal equipped with international-standard amenities. The control tower was replaced and complemented with advanced aeronautical devices. Both ends of the runway now contain facilities to guide night landing and better assure safety in bad weather conditions.

In 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 in February 2010. In his visit, he officially renamed the airport Melaka International Airport.

Facilities

APR-Aerospace Engineering has built a hangar in Melaka International Airport which can accommodate Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 for Aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, Aircraft modification and retrofits, Aircraft technical handling and ground support services, Aircraft spare support and pooling, Technical training on aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul and Structured On-the-Job Training for APR-ATC's TAME program. The hangar was completed in April 2016.

The major facilities that are found in this airport include taxi services, gift shops, cafe, duty-free outlets, conference rooms, multi-purpose meeting and event centre, wheelchair service, staff assistance and free WiFi internet access.

Melaka International Airport is one of the seven airports in Malaysia that provide e-Visa facilities for Chinese tourists from September 2016 onwards.

Expansion and Developments

In August 2015, Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announce that federal government is mulling a proposal to expand the Melaka International Airport, particularly in conjunction with the recent Cabinet endorsement of the southern state’s “twin state” status with China’s Guangdong city. Melaka International Airport will upgrade its runway, apron, aerobridge and taxiway.

In October 2016, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said Melaka International Airport (LTAM) in Batu Berendam here may be relocated to accommodate larger aircraft like the Boeing 777. Liow said a decision will be reached by end of 2016 whether to move the airport to another location or remain at its present site based on the recommendation from an aviation consultant.[8]

In 30 January 2017, State Transport, Project Rehabilitation and International Trade Committee chairman Datuk Lim Ban Hong said the runway of MIA will be extended to 2,500m following the decision by the Federal Government to extend the runway in a bid to accommodate larger aircraft without the need for land acquisitions while the work is expected to be completed in a short span of time. Expansion of Melaka International Airport will be completed in 2019.

Airlines and Destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Malindo Air Pekanbaru, Penang
XpressAir Pekanbaru[9][10]

Traffic and Statistics

Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics
Year
Passengers
handled
Passenger
% change
Cargo
(tonnes)
Cargo
% change
Aircraft
movements
Aircraft
% change
200331,108Steady214Steady57,636Steady
200446,692Increase 50.1602Increase 181.370,369Increase 22.1
200527,683Decrease 40.7370Decrease 38.577,504Increase 10.1
200618,509Decrease 33.1146Decrease 60.574,888Decrease 3.4
200727,209Increase 47.0219Increase 50.064,936Decrease 13.3
200823,751Decrease 12.7179Decrease 18.360,512Decrease 6.8
200918,576Decrease 21.8127Decrease 29.054,160Decrease 10.5
201021,687Increase 16.7144Increase 13.460,811Increase 12.3
201121,322Decrease 1.7139Decrease 3.553,702Decrease 11.7
201234,355Increase 61.1195Increase 40.348,881Decrease 9.0
201321,637Decrease 37.00Decrease 10036,978Decrease 24.4
201414,178Decrease 34.50Steady 23,747Decrease 35.8
201569,710Increase 391.70Steady 19,800Decrease 16.6
201658,703Decrease 15.80Steady 1,294Decrease 93.5
Source: Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad[11]
View down the length of the whole terminal entrance

Ground Transportation

Airport taxi

This is the easiest way to get in and out of the airport. There is a taxi booth inside the terminal building, so arriving passengers can directly go to the booth and get on the taxi right away.

Bus

Mahkota Medical Centre, Putra Hospital and Pantai Hospital provide free shuttle services on a daily basis from Melaka International Airport to their Hospital respectively.

See also

Malindo Air ATR72-600 at Melaka International Airport

Duty Free Shop at Melaka Airport - Arrival & Departure Hall

Statistics

Busiest Flights Out of Malacca International Airport by Weekly Frequency February 2017
RankDestinationsFrequency (Weekly)Airlines Routes
1 Indonesia Pekanbaru, Indonesia 11 OD, XN International
2  Penang 7 OD Domestic

References

  1. ↑ Malacca International Airport at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
  2. ↑ WMKM – MALACCA at Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia
  3. ↑ "Malacca CM in bid to save airport tower", The Star, 30 August 2007
  4. ↑ "Air Asia di Melaka", "Mohd Ali Rustam's blog", 28 August 2008
  5. ↑ http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/07/14/melaka-government-woos-airlines-in-vain/
  6. ↑ http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2016/06/29/airasia-to-invest-rm20mil-to-promote-klia2/
  7. ↑ http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/bm/bu/newsbusiness.php?id=1373365
  8. ↑ http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/liow-status-of-malacca-airport-to-be-known-by-year-end
  9. ↑ http://www.halloriau.com/read-ekonomi-85728-2016-10-20-xpressair-pekanbarumalaka-kembali-terbang-20-november.html
  10. ↑ https://booking.xpressair.co.id/
  11. ↑ "MAHB Annual Report 2015" (PDF). Malaysia Airports. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
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