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 as a center 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 places nearby. 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

The construction of Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, originally named Subang International Airport, began in 1961 and finished in 1965. It cost about RM52 million at the time. The airport was built to replace the older Sungai Besi Airport and became Malaysia's main international airport.

The airport had a special design with a curved roof supported by column shapes. It officially opened on August 30, 1965, with many guests attending. The first flight was a Malaysian Airways plane from Singapore. The airport's runway was the longest in Southeast Asia, allowing large planes to land.

After opening, the airport grew quickly, handling both international and domestic flights. In the 1980s, it was expanded to meet higher demand. A new Terminal 1 opened in 1983 with modern features like baggage conveyors and aerobridges. Terminal 2 took over domestic flights in 1989, and Terminal 3 handled domestic flights starting in 1993.

By 1997, the airport served 15.8 million passengers. It was renamed Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in 1996. However, as traffic grew, a new airport was needed, leading to the opening of Kuala Lumpur International Airport in 1998. Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport then focused on regional and smaller flights.

In 2003, Terminal 1 was torn down, and the airport was rebranded as Subang Skypark, focusing on private and corporate aviation. Plans to improve the airport continue, aiming to make it a major aviation hub by 2030, including resuming jet services in 2024.

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 offers 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

Year	Passengers handled	Passenger % change	Cargo (metric tonnes)	Cargo % change	Aircraft movements	Aircraft % change
1994	11,343,648		262,053		137,871
1995	12,776,877	12.6	325,871	24.4	146,248	6.1
1996	14,556,879	13.9	372,339	14.3	163,493	11.8
1997	15,819,863	8.7	413,695	11.1	162,652	0.5
1998	8,263,930	47.8	166,794	59.7	88,882	45.3
1999	1,999,302	75.8	14,069	91.6	27,753	68.8
2000	2,100,727	5.1	15,893	13.0	38,129	37.4
2001	1,955,688	6.9	14,445	9.1	35,691	6.4
2002	1,130,169	42.2	12,261	15.1	28,170	21.1
2003	72,491	93.6	14,358	17.1	19,616	30.4
2004	90,593	25.0	18,670	30.0	22,757	16.0
2005	83,602	7.7	46,082	146.8	29,668	30.4
2006	83,502	0.12	71,953	56.1	36,626	23.4
2007	95,583	14.5	63,382	11.9	44,302	21.0
2008	307,747	222.0	18,473	70.8	46,989	6.1
2009	819,840	166.4	18,536	0.3	55,148	17.4
2010	1,118,309	36.4	19,988	7.8	63,616	15.3
2011	1,320,227	18.0	19,928	0.3	68,135	7.1
2012	1,442,514	9.3	22,680	13.8	74,008	8.6
2013	1,859,020	28.9	26,443	16.6	80,047	8.2
2014	2,762,556	48.6	28,128	6.4	91,529	14.3
2015	3,059,144	10.7	31,357	11.5	95,845	4.7
2016	2,834,836	7.3	36,147	15.3	94,544	1.4
2017	2,880,586	1.6	36,568	1.2	98,955	4.7
2018	1,964,059	31.8	32,284	11.7	80,775	18.4
2019	2,259,595	15.0	34,648	7.3	80,606	0.2
2020	949,934	58.0	58,260	68.1	49,454	38.6
Source: Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad

Ground transportation

Bus

Stage Bus

The airport has buses from Rapid KL that connect 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 (Central Market) 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.

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 started in May 2018 to give a direct way to reach the airport by train.

But, the train service 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).

Route	Destination	Via	Connecting Rail
772	Subang Suria / Pasar Seni	Subang Airport Ara Damansara Asia Jaya	Kelana Jaya Line
T804	Kwasa Sentral	Subang Airport Subang Perdana	Kajang Line

Other shared facilities

AIROD is located north of the passenger terminal. The RMAF Subang Air Base is on the western side of the runway, shared with the MMEA hangar. Various hangars for corporate jets are south of the Passenger Terminal. The Police Air Unit base for Peninsular Malaysia is at the far south of the airfield, moving there from Sungai Besi Air Base in 2018.