SUBANG – Jet operations at Subang’s Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport are subject to a curfew, with flights permitted to operate only between 6am and 10pm, starting Thursday, as six airlines resume services with narrow-body aircraft, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
This restriction, he said, is necessary due to the airport’s proximity to residential areas.
“There will be no midnight flights here,” the minister told a press conference after a working visit to the airport here.
The six airlines that will resume narrow-body aircraft operations are Firefly, AirAsia Malaysia, Batik Air Malaysia, SKS Airways, TransNusa and Scoot.
Besides that, Loke said several enhancements to the airport’s Skypark terminal have been completed, including reconfiguration of the airport’s apron to accommodate six narrow-body jet aircraft parking bays, including for the Boeing 737, Airbus A320 and other similar jets.
“Check-in process is expected to be smoother with 14 common-use check-in counters, four self-service bag drop facilities and 15 self-service kiosks to be installed,” he said.
Loke added that security screening, customs and immigration processes are expected to improve after additional facilities and equipment are installed.
Immigration counters have also been increased from the current three to four for departures and from three to eight for arrivals, the minister said.
Meanwhile, Loke said the Skypark Link, a train service connecting the KL Sentral station to the Skypark Terminal at the airport, will resume once the new terminal is fully ready by 2027.
“We are currently monitoring passenger movements. If there is an increased demand and more flights come into the airport, we will consider resuming the service earlier,” he said.
In March, Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd (MAHB) announced a spending of RM3.7 billion until 2030 for its 10-year Subang Airport Regeneration Plan, which includes a full-fledged new green city airport terminal and a 2.3-time increase in total lettable gross floor area for its business aviation area.
Last year, Loke announced that the cabinet had approved the redevelopment of the Subang airport.
The decision followed a proposal by MAHB to redevelop the airport into a regional aviation hub in a joint venture with Subang Skypark Sdn Bhd.
While the Subang airport was opened in 1965, it has been limited to handling only propeller-driven aircraft such as turboprops, business jets and helicopters, as well as light and military aircraft.
This is due to how all jet operations were moved to Kuala Lumpur International Airport in 1998.
With the additional jet operations, the Subang airport’s connectivity and network will be enhanced with direct links to eight domestic destinations and three international locations.
The eight domestic locations are Alor Star, Johor Bahru, Kota Bharu, Langkawi, Penang and Kuala Terengganu, with the new destinations featured being Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.
For international flights, passengers could previously only fly to Singapore’s Seletar. Now, flyers will have a chance to head to the island state’s Changi as well as Jakarta. – July 30, 2024