- Malacca International Airport
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MKZ redirects here. For the automobile, see Lincoln MKZ.
Malacca Airport, Malacca
Lapangan Terbang Melaka
马六甲机场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 02°15′48″N 102°15′05″E / 2.26333°N 102.25139°E 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 only, which operates flights from Pekanbaru 3 times per week.[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. In September 2005, AirAsia announced that it will make Batu Berendam Airport a destination once renovation work has been completed. It will be known as Melaka International Airport. ( recognized by Melaka state government )
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Melaka International Airport. ( recognized by Melaka state government )
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 and Destinations
Airlines Destination Frequency Wings Air Pekan Baru 3 times per week Firefly Medan, Subang 2 times per week Traffic and Statistics
Overall Operational Statistics 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 References
- ^ Melaka Airport at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
- ^ Airport information for WMKM at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
- ^ Airport information for MKZ at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
- ^ "Malacca CM in bid to save airport tower", The Star, 2007-08-30
- ^ "Air Asia di Melaka", "Mohd Ali Rustam's blog", 2008-08-28
- ^ "Melaka Airport Runway Extension To Complete By September", Bernama, 2009-03-10
- ^ "Firefly set to fly from Batu Berendam by September", The Sun, 2009-05-04
Gallery
External links
- [1] - List of international airports in Malaysia
- Current weather for WMKM at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for MKZ at Aviation Safety Network
- EZineer - A forum with regular updates on Expansion work progress
- Batu Berendam Airport, Malacca at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
Categories:- Airports in Malaysia
- Buildings and structures in Malacca
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