Кучинг Халықаралық Әуежайы: Даму мен Статистикасы

Airport serving Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Kuching International Airport (KIA) is an international airport serving the entire southwestern region of Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located

The airport terminal is capable of handling five million passengers per annum and it is the fourth busiest airport in Malaysia. KIA has grown rapidly with an increasing number of passengers and aircraft movement. In 2023, KIA handled 5,327,787 passengers with a corresponding volume of 45,598 flights. In the same year, 43,606 metric tonnes of cargo were handled through this facility. KIA is the operating base for AirAsia and has been growing rapidly to tackle the demand of the travellers in the Sarawak region.

Kuching International Airport was given a radical makeover, with the terminal completed in 2006 and the runway and taxiway extension fully completed in 2008. The renovations borrowed many design features from Kuala Lumpur's then new airport (KL International Airport opened in 1998, replacing the overcrowded Subang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport), so the two have a similar look.

The former Chief Minister of Sarawak, Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, wishes to attract more foreign airlines to KIA so as to develop the Sarawak Tourism Industry. Singapore's budget airline, Tiger Airways, had been given the green light to serve Kuching International Airport (the airline has since discontinued service to Kuching after only a few years, as did its closest competitor, Jetstar Asia). As of 2006, Malaysia Airlines in Kuching International Airport has so far achieved a zero accident rate. The Sarawak Government is working closely with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia to rationalise long haul flights. Sarawak hopes to use Brunei and Singapore as entry points to enhance the two prevailing gateways – Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA). The Sarawak Government plans to set up a boutique airline to be operated by Hornbill Skyways, a state owned airline company. The airline's operations would also focus on a strategic hub and that the initial plan is to provide direct flights from Sarawak to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bangkok and Hong Kong. The head office of Hornbill Skyways is in North Pan Hangar at Kuching International Airport.

+ Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics Year Passengershandled Passenger% change Cargo(tonnes) Cargo% Change Aircraft movements Aircraft% change 2003 2,923,633 26,278 42,138 2004 3,317,879 13.5 26,073 0.8 45,340 7.6 2005 3,354,973 1.1 28,407 8.9 43,253 4.0 2006 3,196,352 4.7 29,716 4.6 40,292 7.4 2007 3,236,468 1.3 23,818 19.8 37,348 7.3 2008 3,238,614 0.07 19,166 19.5 39,188 4.9 2009 3,574,632 10.4 20,830 8.7 44,761 14.2 2010 3,684,517 3.1 26,977 29.5 46,382 3.6 2011 4,286,722 16.3 24,787 8.1 53,154 14.6 2012 4,186,523 2.3 15,811 36.2 46,727 12.1 2013 4,871,036 16.4 21,993 39.1 56,085 20.0 2014 4,852,822 0.4 28,040 27.5 53,490 4.6 2015 4,772,453 1.7 29,362 4.7 53,303 0.3 2016 4,919,677 3.1 22,500 23.4 51,855 2.7 2017 5,095,193 3.6 24,620 9.4 51,097 1.5 2018 5,564,722 9.2 26,819 8.9 56,876 11.3 2019 5,956,141 7.0 25,072 6.5 55,682 2.1 2020 1,780,417 70.1 30,724 22.5 26,757 51.9 2021 840,425 52.8 55,823 81.7 19,717 26.3 2022 4,340,393 416.5 49,968 10.5 43,351 119.9 2023 5,327,787 18.5 43,606 12.7 45,598 4.9 Source: Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad

Kuching International Airport has two sides of baggage reclaim halls, one is for the domestic flights (within Sarawak) while the other one is for both international flights and flights outside Sarawak.

As one of the two states in Malaysia which controls its own immigration autonomy, Sarawak exercises special regulation upon arriving and departing from all Sarawakian airports including Kuching. All passengers travelling with any flights from outside Sarawak (including all flights from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Federal Territory of Labuan and outside Malaysia), must pass through the immigration control at the first entry airport.

No city buses are available. The nearest bus station which is Kuching Sentral Bus Terminal, is located 2 km away. A taxi coupon ticket can be bought at the Taxi Coupon Counter. Ridesharing services provided by Grab, Maxim, and Gojo are also available.

KIA received the MS ISO 9001:2000 for Airport Management, Operations and Maintenance of Airport Covering Fire and Rescue Services, Aviation Security, Engineering and General Operations in the year of 2005. Aerodrome Certification from the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) was awarded to KIA in 2005 where KIA is being the second airport in Malaysia, after Kuala Lumpur International Airport to receive the prestigious certification. MAS in Kuching International Airport (KIA) achieved zero occupational accidents in 2006, making it one of the best stations in the country. Kuching International Airport was accorded Platinum and Star status by International Air Transport Association (IATA) in recognition of their barcoded boarding passes project as well as satisfying various guidelines from check in, baggage drop and security control to boarding.

On Feb 27 2006, a DHL cargo plane of skidded at the end of the runway of the airport when landing at 6.20 am. On 1 September 2006, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Kuala Lumpur bound flight MH2507 which was speeding to takeoff on the Kuching International Airport (KIA) runway screeched to a stop, just metres away from the runway limit. A faulty engine suddenly lost power forcing the pilot to abort flight, grounding the Airbus 330 which failed to take off at 11.05 am. Passengers waited at the KIA departure lounge for almost seven hours before their replacement flight departed at 5.30 pm. Passengers of the fully booked flight included several members of the Organisation of Islamic Countries' (OIC) delegates, in the State capital for the Merdeka celebration. On 13 January 2007, a Boeing 737 200 belonging to the Gading Sari Aviation Services Sdn Bhd crash landed while attempting to land at 5.52 am. The aircraft's fuselage was badly damaged, and the landing gears and right engine were torn off during the crash. All four crew members escaped unhurt. The airport was closed for six hours while the plane was towed away from the crash site and debris cleared from the runway. Departures and arrivals of 16 MAS and 14 AirAsia flights were delayed affecting 2,200 passengers – 1,000 passengers of MAS and 1,200 from AirAsia. An earlier flight from Kuala Lumpur had to be diverted to Miri Airport. Damage included navigational lights – eight taxi lights, five runway edge lights, two end lights, and one precision approach path indicator. It reopened at noon. On 2 October 2009, Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737 4H6 9M MMR was substantially damaged when the port main undercarriage collapsed while the aircraft was parked at the gate. On 10 January 2011, AirAsia Flight 5218 skidded on the runway whilst landing in a heavy downpour. Four passengers were hospitalised.