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Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport

Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience

A view of Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport from the tarmac, showing airplanes and the airport environment.

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (IATA: SZB, ICAO: WMSA), also known as Subang SkyPark, is an airport in Subang, Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. It was the main airport for Kuala Lumpur from 1965 to 1998, taking over from the older Sungai Besi Airport. After that, a newer airport called Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang became the main airport.

Today, Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport is a busy place for smaller planes and special flights. Airlines like Batik Air Malaysia, Firefly, Berjaya Air, MHS Aviation, and Weststar Aviation use it for their flights. Many people from Kuala Lumpur choose this airport because it is close to the city.

In 2024, bigger planes started flying from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport again, connecting Subang to nearby places. The airport is important for private planes and flights within Malaysia. There are also big plans to grow the airport, making it a key place for fixing and caring for airplanes, as well as other work in the air travel business.

Background and Development

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, first called Subang International Airport, was built to replace Sungai Besi Airport. Construction started in 1961 and finished in 1965. It cost about RM52 million.

The airport opened on August 30, 1965. The first flight was a Malaysian Airways plane from Singapore. Its runway was the longest in Southeast Asia.

A Royal Malaysian Air Force, de Havilland Heron aircraft on a test flight at the newly constructed Subang International Airport, 1965

After opening, the airport grew fast, handling both international and domestic flights. In the 1980s, it was expanded. Terminal 1 opened in 1983 with new features. Terminal 2 began handling domestic flights in 1989, and Terminal 3 started in 1993.

The airport was renamed Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in 1996. A new airport opened in 1998, so this one focused on smaller flights.

In 2003, Terminal 1 was torn down. The airport became Subang Skypark, focusing on private and corporate aviation. Plans continue to improve the airport.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport is used by several airlines for travel within the region and on special trips. Some of these airlines include Batik Air Malaysia, Firefly, Berjaya Air, MHS Aviation, and Weststar Aviation. The airport provides connections to nearby places and supports flights that are not regular schedules.

Aviation Services

SkyPark Terminal has many services for planes and helicopters. You can find charter flights, flying clubs, and help for helicopters here. Some well-known flying clubs at the terminal are Subang Flying Club, Air Adventure Flying Club, and ESB Flying Club.

There are also places that fix and care for planes. ExecuJet MRO Services, which is part of Dassault Aviation SA, and Smooth Route help with plane repairs. Dnest Aviation Services takes care of planes on the ground, refuels them, and helps organize repairs for private and company planes. Eurocopter has a place at the terminal to service helicopters used by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. Berjaya Air’s main office is located in the Berjaya Hangar at SkyPark Terminal.

Traffic and statistics

Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics
YearPassengers
handled		Passenger
% change		Cargo
(metric tonnes)		Cargo
% change		Aircraft
movements		Aircraft
% change
199411,343,648Steady262,053Steady137,871Steady
199512,776,877Increase 12.6325,871Increase 24.4146,248Increase 6.1
199614,556,879Increase 13.9372,339Increase 14.3163,493Increase 11.8
199715,819,863Increase 8.7413,695Increase 11.1162,652Decrease 0.5
19988,263,930Decrease 47.8166,794Decrease 59.788,882Decrease 45.3
19991,999,302Decrease 75.814,069Decrease 91.627,753Decrease 68.8
20002,100,727Increase 5.115,893Increase 13.038,129Increase 37.4
20011,955,688Decrease 6.914,445Decrease 9.135,691Decrease 6.4
20021,130,169Decrease 42.212,261Decrease 15.128,170Decrease 21.1
200372,491Decrease 93.614,358Increase 17.119,616Decrease 30.4
200490,593Increase 25.018,670Increase 30.022,757Increase 16.0
200583,602Decrease 7.746,082Increase 146.829,668Increase 30.4
200683,502Decrease 0.1271,953Increase 56.136,626Increase 23.4
200795,583Increase 14.563,382Decrease 11.944,302Increase 21.0
2008307,747Increase 222.018,473Decrease 70.846,989Increase 6.1
2009819,840Increase 166.418,536Decrease 0.355,148Increase 17.4
20101,118,309Increase 36.419,988Increase 7.863,616Increase 15.3
20111,320,227Increase 18.019,928Decrease 0.368,135Increase 7.1
20121,442,514Increase 9.322,680Increase 13.874,008Increase 8.6
20131,859,020Increase 28.926,443Increase 16.680,047Increase 8.2
20142,762,556Increase 48.628,128Increase 6.491,529Increase 14.3
20153,059,144Increase 10.731,357Increase 11.595,845Increase 4.7
20162,834,836Decrease 7.336,147Increase 15.394,544Decrease 1.4
20172,880,586Increase 1.636,568Increase 1.298,955Increase 4.7
20181,964,059Decrease 31.832,284Decrease 11.780,775Decrease 18.4
20192,259,595Increase 15.034,648Increase 7.380,606Decrease 0.2
2020949,934Decrease 58.058,260Increase 68.149,454Decrease 38.6
Source: Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad

Ground transportation

Bus

Stage Bus

The airport has buses from Rapid KL that go to the Kelana Jaya line, MRT Kajang Line, and the city centre of Kuala Lumpur.

  • (/wiki/List_of_bus_routes_in_Greater_Kuala_Lumpur) : This bus goes from Pasar Seni to Subang Suria and stops at the airport. It is useful for people changing trains, as it stops at Ara Damansara and Asia Jaya stations.
  • T804 : This bus connects the airport to Kwasa Sentral.
The Skypark Link train at Terminal Skypark. The service is currently suspended.

Airport Shuttle

There is a shuttle bus that goes between Subang Skypark and the main Kuala Lumpur International Airport terminals (KLIA T1 & T2). The trip takes about one hour, depending on traffic.

Rail

Main article: Skypark Link

The airport used to have a train service called Skypark Link. This service, run by KTM Komuter, connected KL Sentral to Terminal Skypark through Subang Jaya.

The train line stopped on 15 February 2023 because not many people were using it. Right now, there is no train that goes directly to the airport. Passengers should get off at Ara Damansara LRT station and take a bus (/wiki/List_of_bus_routes_in_Greater_Kuala_Lumpur).

RouteDestinationViaConnecting Rail
772 Subang Suria / Pasar SeniSubang Airport
Ara Damansara
Asia Jaya		Kelana Jaya Line
T804 Kwasa SentralSubang Airport
Subang Perdana		Kajang Line

Other shared facilities

AIROD is north of the passenger terminal. The RMAF Subang Air Base is on the west side of the runway and is shared with the MMEA hangar. There are hangars for small airplanes south of the Passenger Terminal. The Police Air Unit for Peninsular Malaysia is at the far south of the airfield. It moved there from Sungai Besi Air Base in 2018.

Images

A Malaysia Airlines Airbus A300 airplane parked at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport.
A Firefly ATR72 airplane at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport.
A vintage BOAC VC-10 airplane at Kuala Lumpur Airport in the early 1970s.

Related articles

Selangor
Kuala Lumpur
Sepang
Runway

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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