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*[[Lion Air]] (Jakarta, Surabaya)
*[[Lion Air]] (Jakarta, Surabaya)
*[[Lufthansa]] (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Frankfurt)
*[[Lufthansa]] (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Frankfurt)
*[[Malaysia Airlines]] (Adelaide, Amsterdam, Auckland, Bahrain(seasonal) Bandar Seri Begawan, Bangalore, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Beijing, Beirut, Brisbane, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cape Town, Cebu, Chennai, Colombo, Delhi, Denpasar/Bali, Dhaka, Dubai, Frankfurt, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Istanbul-Atatürk, Jakarta, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kaohsiung, Karachi, Kunming, Kuwait(seasonal) , Lahore [Start from 7th January 2008]<ref name="Malaysia Airlines to increase frequencies,adding new routes and slash unprofitable routes">[http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BT/Tuesday/Nation/20070918015138/Article/ Mas Starts Lahore Flight]</ref>, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Male, Manila, Medan, Melbourne, Mumbai, Nagoya-Centrair [Ends 5th January 2008]<ref name="Malaysia Airlines to increase frequencies,adding new routes and slash unprofitable routes"/> ,Newark, Osaka-Kansai, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Perth, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Rome-Fiumicino, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Siem Reap, Singapore, Stockholm-Arlanda, Surabaya, Sydney, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tokyo-Narita, Xiamen, Yangon, Zurich [Ends 24th January 2008] <ref=Malaysia Airlines to increase frequencies,adding new routes and slash unprofitable routes/>)
*[[Malaysia Airlines]] (Adelaide, Amsterdam, Auckland, Bahrain(seasonal) Bandar Seri Begawan, Bangalore, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Beijing, Beirut, Brisbane, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cape Town, Cebu, Chennai, Colombo, Delhi, Denpasar/Bali, Dhaka, Dubai, Frankfurt, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Istanbul-Atatürk, Jakarta, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kaohsiung, Karachi, Kunming, Kuwait(seasonal) , Lahore [Start from 7th January 2008]<ref name="Malaysia Airlines to increase frequencies,adding new routes and slash unprofitable routes">[http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BT/Tuesday/Nation/20070918015138/Article/ Mas Starts Lahore Flight]</ref>, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Male, Manila, Medan, Melbourne, Mumbai, Nagoya-Centrair [Ends 5th January 2008]<ref name="Malaysia Airlines to increase frequencies,adding new routes and slash unprofitable routes"/> ,Newark, Osaka-Kansai, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Perth, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Rome-Fiumicino, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Siem Reap, Singapore, Stockholm-Arlanda, Surabaya, Sydney, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tokyo-Narita, Xiamen, Yangon, Zurich [Ends 24th January 2008] <ref name="Malaysia Airlines to increase frequencies,adding new routes and slash unprofitable routes"/>)
*[[Merpati Nusantara Airlines]] (Jakarta, Surabaya, Mataram)
*[[Merpati Nusantara Airlines]] (Jakarta, Surabaya, Mataram)
*[[Myanmar Airways International]] (Yangon)
*[[Myanmar Airways International]] (Yangon)

Revision as of 06:38, 27 September 2007

Kuala Lumpur International Airport

Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur
File:KLIALOGO.JPG
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorMalaysian Airports (Sepang) Sdn Bhd
LocationKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Elevation AMSL71 ft / 21 m
Coordinates2°44′44″N 101°42′35″E / 2.74556°N 101.70972°E / 2.74556; 101.70972
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
14L/32R 13,530 4,124 Concrete
14R/32L 13,288 4,050 Concrete
The KLIA Control Tower

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) (IATA: KUL, ICAO: WMKK) is Malaysia's main international airport and is situated in Sepang district, in the south of the state of Selangor, about 50 km from the capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Built at a cost of some US$3.5 billion, KLIA was opened on 27 June 1998.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport operates around-the-clock and can handle 35 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo a year. The airport is one of southeast Asia's major aviation hubs, along with Singapore Changi Airport and Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The airport is operated by Malaysia Airports (Sepang) Sdn Bhd and is the hub for Malaysia Airlines, Malaysia Airlines Cargo, AirAsia, and AirAsia X. KLIA is also the stopover point for the kangaroo route for Malaysia Airlines.

The IATA airport code, KUL was inherited from the previous international gateway for Malaysia, Subang International Airport.

History

Satellite Terminal at day
The Check-in counters

The planning of KLIA began in 1990 when the government decided that the existing Subang International Airport (now Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport) could not handle future demand. Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad was a prime driver behind the project, which was seen as an important component of the Multimedia Super Corridor.

The decision was controversial. The location, over 50 km from Kuala Lumpur, was viewed as inconvenient; the price tag ballooned from original estimates; critics alleged that, contrary to the government's assertions, Subang could still be expanded. Indeed, work on Subang continued simultaneously with KLIA's construction. Subang's new Terminal 3 was opened in December 1993 and Terminal 2 was refurbished in 1995, only three years before KLIA's opening.

With the airport site spanning 100 km², it is one of the largest airport sites in the world. It is built on a piece of agricultural land and required no demolition of private property. Its original master plan of Kuala Lumpur International Airport involved in constructing five runways, two terminals accompanied by two satellite terminals for each terminal over three phases. Phase One development includes constructing one main terminal accompanied by one satellite terminal that is enough to accommodate 25 million passengers and dual full service runways. Under the implementation of Phase One, sixty contact piers, twenty remote parking bays with eighty aircraft parking positions, four maintenance hangars, fire stations will be made available to passengers and airliners. Implementation of phase two and three will accommodate expansions of the airport to include increasing number of passengers. Ultimately, the airport is capable to handle 100 million passengers per annum once all three phases are implemented.

With the workforce of 25,000 workers working 24 hours non-stop, the airport was built within four and half years. The airport was officially inaugurated on June 27, 1998, a week ahead of Hong Kong International Airport, but flights were shifted from Subang only three days later on June 30. The first domestic arrival was Malaysia Airlines's MH1263 from Kuantan at 7.10am and first international passenger jet arrival was Malaysia Airlines's MH188 from the Maldives at 7.30am.[1]

However, the inauguration of the airport was marked with significant problems. Aerobridge and bay allocation systems broke down, queues formed throughout the airport, and baggage handling broke down badly, with lost bags and waits of over five hours.[2] Most of these issues were sorted out eventually, but the baggage handling system continued to be plagued with problems, and it was finally put up for a new complete replacement tender in 2006.

The airport also had to contend with the East Asian financial crisis, SARS and Bird Flu Epidemic (Avian Flu) which decimated passenger traffic in Malaysia and the region. Passenger growth was initially negative during the financial crisis and airlines that had started flights to KLIA including All Nippon Airways, British Airways, Lufthansa and Northwest Airlines, terminated their services due to unprofitability. The first phase of the airport was designed with a capacity of 25 million passengers per year but on the first full year of operations in 1999, it saw only 13.2 million.[3] However, traffic did eventually increase with 21.1 million passengers recorded in 2004 and 23.2 million in 2005 — although this, too, fell short of the original estimate of 25 million by the year 2003.

In 2007, KLIA was rated the Best Airport in the world for 15-25 million passengers with Third Best Airport in Asia Pacific and Worldwide. The award was organised by Airports Council International Airport Service Quality (ACI-ASQ)[4]

The name Kuala Lumpur International Airport was previously used as an alternative name for the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB) in Subang.

Future plans

KLIA Masterplan Map

Under the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Masterplan, a new runway and a new satellite building will be constructed to accommodate the increasing number of passengers. However, this is still under planning stage. The airport Phase 2 development plan is to handle 35 million passengers per annum by 2008 with a new satellite terminal constructed. Whereas for phase 3 (2008 and beyond), the airport will further expand to handle 45 million passengers per annum by 2012 and 100 million passengers per annum by 2020. Ultimately, there is sufficient land and capacity to develop facilities to handle up to 100 million passengers a year, four runways by the year 2020 and two mega-terminals, each with two linked satellite buildings. With the airport's vision to develop a city with a Airport, the airport's vicinity will include hiking trails for jet-lagged travelers, golf courses, a theme park, a shopping center, hotels, and a wetlands nature preserve. Sepang International Circuit, which hosts Formula 1 and MotoGP races, is also nearby. There has also been a proposal for a monorail link to the F1 circuit. In November 2006, the Malaysian government announced that it had approved in principle the construction of a rail link between the main terminal Building and the low cost carrier terminal. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2007. There were however no details of which company would carry out the project, nor was there an indication that it would be directly connected to the existing airport high-speed train Express Rail Link.[5] With an increasing number of passengers using the Low Cost Carrier Terminal, Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad(MAHB), the company managing KLIA has approved of Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) expansion beginning early 2007 to accommodate more passengers as the current LCCT is nearly in full capacity. The expansion of LCCT also shows the support for launch of Malaysia's first long haul low cost carrier, AirAsia X by making the terminal able to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft that are used by AirAsia X[6] However, the Low Cost Carrier Terminal is a temporary solution for budget travellers, MAHB has submited a proposal to the Transport Ministry to build a new, permanent LCC hub in between the main terminal building and satellite building A to replace the present Low Cost Carrier terminal.[7]

A380 Upgrades

The operator of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad, had spend about RM135 million (approx US$39 million) to upgrade facilities at the KL International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang to accommodate the Airbus A380. Upgrading works started on April 3, 2006 and expected to complete by May 28, 2007. Works include the provision of shoulder on both sides of the two existing runways by 15 meteres as well as the taxiways, building additional aerobridges at the three departure halls, namely C17, C27 and C37, and enhancing the mezzanine lounges for upper deck passengers of the aircraft at the departure halls.[8][9]

Operations and infrastructure

Design

The concept of KLIA's terminal building area was prepared by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa. The terminal building area was designed using the concept of Airport in the forest, forest in the airport, in which it is surrounded by green space. This was done with the co-operation of the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia. An entire section of rain forest was transplanted, roots and all, from the jungle and put in the middle of the satellite building. Many other airport, engineering and architectural consultants were also involved in preparing the airport masterplan, aerodrome, civil, structural, mechanical and electrical designs.

The airport is designed to handle up to 100 million passengers per year. Despite its size, it is designed to disperse human traffic to all corners of the building, with a simple layout and effective signage in Malay, English, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic. Facilities for disabled passengers also meet world standards. Furthermore, it has an automated people mover and travelators to allow quick and easy movement in the airport.

The runways and buildings cover an overall site of 100 square kilometres, and with its 75 ramp stands, it is theoretically capable of handling 100 aircraft movements at any given time. There are 216 check-in counters, arranged in six check-in aisles. The airport is the first in the world to use the Total Airport Management Systems (TAMS) — although the system was blamed for the airport's teething troubles by Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik.[2]

Air traffic control tower

KLIA Control Tower

There are two air traffic control towers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, namely the main control tower and apron control tower.

The main control tower is 130 meter tall and is currently the second tallest air traffic control tower in the world, after New Bangkok International Airport's control tower. Shaped like an Olympic torch, it houses the air traffic control systems and radar equipment.

As for the 55 meter apron control tower, it is responsible for the provision of Air Traffic Service to aircraft and vehicles movement in the northern and southern parts of the Satellite Terminal building and the cargo apron areas.

ATC frequencies:

  • Lumpur Clearance Delivery - 126.00 MHz
  • Lumpur Ground - 121.65 MHz, 121.80 MHz, 229 MHz
  • Lumpur Tower - 118.50 MHz, 118.80 MHz, 229 MHz
  • Lumpur Approach - 119.45 MHz, 124.20 MHz
  • ATIS - 126.45 MHz

Runways

KLIA has two parallel runways. Both runways are over 4,000 meters long and 60 m wide. Each runway also has 10 taxiways with the taxi time ranging from 2.1 minutes to 10.8 minutes. The two full-service runways can handle 120 movements per hour when one runway handles taking off and one runway handles landing. Each runway is also equipped with one completely parallel taxiway along with a second parallel taxiway and Instrument Landing System to guide landing aircraft safely under all weather conditions. The runways at KLIA are undergoing upgrading works in order to accommodate the Airbus A380. Future expansion of the KLIA Master Plan includes the addition of another two runways and one optional runway.

Baggage handling system (BHS)

KLIA's conveyor belts

KLIA's baggage handling system features baggage common check-in at any of the 216 counters on a 24-hour basis and incorporates automatic bar-code sorting control, 4 level in-line baggage security screening and high speed conveyor belts.

  • 8 short-term car park baggage check-in counters
  • 8 bus and train stations baggage check-in counters
  • 3 stage baggage security screening system
  • Early check-in baggage storage (1,200 bags capacity)
  • 17 baggage reclaim carousels together with LCCT
  • 33 km total length of conveyor belts
  • Part of the belts travel through a 1.1 km tunnel from the Main Terminal Building to the Satellite Building

The BHS was built by Toyo Kanetsu and in 2006 a contract to extend the system from the satellite building to the ERL (Express Rail Link) platform in the Main Terminal Building was awarded to Siemens[10]. Cases of theft from checked-in luggage have also been reported frequently, and in 2006, eight airport workers were convicted of luggage theft[11].

Baggage is handled by two companies, namely Malaysia Airlines and Kuala Lumpur Airport Services (KLAS). The Malaysia Airlines System handles most airlines landing at KLIA whereas KLAS also handles some other airlines.

IATA had agreed to facilitate the usage of RFID tags between KL International Airport and Hong Kong Airport after the launch of the world's smallest multiband RFID chip in Kuala Lumpur. KLIA will be the second airport to use RFID[12].

Fire and rescue

Airport Fire and Rescue Services (AFRS) are provided to cope with aircraft accidents occurring on or in the immediate vicinity of KLIA Sepang. There are two fire stations in the airport's vicinity, which are:

  • Fire Station 1, built on 170,000 sq feet has total floor area of 11,400 sq ft (1,060 m2) with steel structures consisting of 2 floors.
  • Fire Station 2, built on 60,500 sq feet has total floor area of 12,900 sq ft (1,200 m2) with steel structures consisting of 2 floors.

Both fire stations are equipped with fire and emergency rescue equipments. There are total of 7 Ultra Large Foam Tender (0 x 0) vehicles costing RM 3.8 million each, 1 Command and control, 1 Turntable ladder, 1 First-aid vehicle, 2 Water tenders, 1 Officer-in-charge vehicle, and 1 Rescue tender in use for both fire stations.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport is the world's second airport to be equipped with explosive goods diffusion chamber, after Munich International Airport. Diffusion of highly explosive goods can be made safely in these two chambers which cost about RM 1.6 million each.

Air cargo

The KLIA Advance Cargo Center covers 108 acres (0.4 km2) of land and can handle one million tonnes of cargo per annum, with the capability to expand to 3 million tonnes/year. The center is designed as an integrated transshipment hub within a Free Commercial Zone. Fueled by high economic growth in the South East Asian countries and China, the airport handled 672,888 tonnes of air cargo in 2006, a 2.9% growth over the 2005 fiscal year.

Making use of information technology, the main operator of the center, MASKargo introduced various artificial intelligence systems to handle cargo such as KLIA Community System (KLIACS) and e-Invoicing and Payment. It pioneered the DagangNET System, allowing users to conduct trade declarations and applying permits over the internet and speeding the approval process by controlling authorities. These systems will be linked the Total Airport Management System.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport one of the world's busiest airports by cargo traffic in 2006 Airports Council International statistics.

Animal hotel

Main article: Animal Hotel

KLIA claims the world's first "six-star" animal hotel for pets and livestock to use during stopovers in transhipment.

Security and security surcharges

The airport's security comes under the purview of the Polis Bantuan Malaysia Airports Berhad or Malaysia Airports Berhad Auxiliary Police. They are trained by Polis DiRaja Malaysia (PDRM) or the Royal Malaysian Police. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, airport security has been beefed up with more stringent checks at security checkpoints, and upgrading to more sophisticated x-ray equipment and surveillance systems. The auxiliary policemen in KLIA wear the same easily identified blue uniform and insignia as their counterparts in PDRM, which is a common practice among the auxiliary police corp in Malaysia. The only difference is that they wear shoulder patch with the Malaysia Airports Berhad company logo with the wordings Polis Bantuan or Auxiliary Police embroided under it. A security surcharge has been introduced to bear part of the cost.

In view of the heightened security alert at airports in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US), security screening checks have been stepped up on passengers and their hand luggage, as well as for checked-in luggage on flights bound for destinations in the UK and the US from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.[13]

International and domestic travelers departing the airport must pay RM 6 for international departures and RM 3 for domestic departures levied by the airport operator, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad. The surcharge will be collected as part of the cost of tickets[14].

From May 21 2007, all flights out of the airport will impose the new cabin baggage restrictions implemented by the International Civil Aviation Organization, where only 100 ml of each particular liquid will be allowed in the hand luggage in a resealable plastic bag no bigger than 1 litre measuring 20 cm by 20 cm which will be given without a fee for three to six months. However, baby food, medicine and special liquid dietary and items bought from the duty free stores at the airport will not be affected on most flights provided they are sealed in a tamper-evident clear plastic bag with receipt attached [15].

Aircraft maintenance

Ground Handling of an KLM Combi 747

There are four hangars housing facilities to provide aircraft maintenance provided by Malaysia Airlines and Kuala Lumpur Airport Service (KLAS). When A380 hangar construction completes, the airport will the first airport in South East Asia to have a purpose built hangar for A380.

Meteorological services

The Aeronautical Meteorological Station (AMS) is located near Runway 14R-32L which provides weather information for the aviation community in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization standards. AMS constantly make weather observations and issues aerodrome warnings on adverse weather for protection of aerodrome facilities and aircraft on the ground. The AMS houses a state of the art Meteorological Data Processing System (MDPS) for weather data collection, processing, storage and analytical needs. The MDPS is composed of various meteorological processing components such as radar, workstation, servers, satellite systems and briefing terminals. These various components are located at various points within and outside KLIA.

Terminals

Interior of the Main Terminal.
Interior of the Satellite Terminal.
KLIA Low Cost Carrier Terminal.

The Passenger Terminal Complex (PTC) was built with an emphasis on allowing natural light into the building. Thus, there is a huge expanse of glass throughout the building, and the spectacular roof has cut-outs for natural light to filter in. The PTC comprises three buildings - the Main Terminal Building, the Satellite Building and the Contact Pier. Besides the 80-room hotel at the Satellite Building, there is a 450-room 5-star Pan Pacific KLIA hotel a 5-10 minute (indoor) walk away. Regular (free) buggy services are also available to the Pan Pacific. Shopping spots are available in an area encompassing 85,000 square metres.

Main terminal building and contact pier

The Main terminal building is located in between the two runways. The building consist of 39 square roof units, which enables future expansion of the building. There are a total of 216 check-in counters, located in 6 different islands, identified by the letters A – M (excluding I). Multi check-in services are available, designed for the use of all passengers arriving, departing or in transit. There are 61 and 69 immigration counters for departing and arriving passengers respectively, 16 transfer counters and 32 customs counters as well as 12 baggage carousels (10 for international passengers and 2 for domestic passengers).

The contact pier is the rectangular shaped terminal that is connected to the Main Terminal Building which serves as the domestic terminal of KLIA. It is currently the preferred terminal for Malaysia Airlines' domestic flights, however, it no longer caters the low-cost carriers' departing and arriving passengers. At the north side of the pier, it can only accommodate narrow-bodied aircraft. In contrast, the south side of the contact pier can accommodate B737 and B747 or similar sized aircraft. Due to its length,in order to facilitate passenger movement around the airport, travellators are installed around the contact pier.

Facilities within the terminal include ATMs, a fitness center, quiet rooms, smoking rooms, healthcare service, airline lounges, a featured display area which showcases KLIA's history and also information counters and an electronic information kiosk. These facilities are constantly monitored and taken care by the airport operator and the airlines for their respective lounge. The Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad derives 65% of its total annual revenue from non-aeronautical sources, with 35% from commercial space rental and a percentage of sale receipts.There were plans to increase and maximize the Main Terminal Building's and Contact Pier's retail area however, the plan was postponed[16].

Satellite terminal A

The 143,404 sq metre satellite building accommodates international flights departing and arriving at KLIA. Passengers have to travel to the satellite building via the Aerotrain. There are wide array of duty-free shops and prestige brand boutiques in the satellite building. This includes numerous international brands such as Burberry, Dunhill, Mont Blanc and recently, Mango has opened its first boutique at an airport in the Asian region. Liquor and perfumes are particularly popular, accounting for over half of total retail sales, followed by watches and tobacco products[citation needed]. Furthermore, Satellite Terminal A also houses the Airside Transit Hotel and some of the international airlines' lounges such as China Airlines' Dynasty Lounge, Malaysia Airlines' Golden Lounge for international passengers and Singapore Airlines' Silver Kris Lounge.

Under Malaysia Airports Berhad retail optimisation plan, the retail space in satellite terminal A will be further optimized to increase its revenue derived from commercial space rental and a percentage of sale receipts to 50% by year 2010 which currently stands at 35%. Some improvements that will be seen after the refurbishments will be the Jungle Boardwalk which will be the first of its kind in the world and larger mezzanine floor to accommodate F&B outlets and viewing galleries.[17]

Low cost carrier terminal

The first purpose built Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) was specifically built at KL International Airport to cater to the growing passengers of the low cost airlines, especially the passengers of Malaysia's "no-frills" airline, AirAsia. Construction of the LCC Terminal was on a fast-track basis beginning June 2005 at an approximate cost of RM 108 million.

The 35,290 square-meter terminal is designed and built to suit the low cost carrier (LCC) business model that requires only basic terminal amenities. In order to offer lower landing fees, handling fees and airport taxes, it cuts back on amenities such as aerobridges, elaborate physical structures and decorations in the passenger terminal building. Still, air-conditioning, a range of duty-free shops and food and beverage outlets, and free internet terminals are available. There is no transfer facility at the LCCT. Passengers who need to make transfers need to clear immigration, collect their luggage, clear customs, make their way to the main terminal by taking the free shuttle buses and re-checkin with the respective airline.

The LCCT is located on the opposite side of the apron from the Main Terminal Building, near the air cargo area. By road, the LCCT is about 20 km from the Main Terminal Building.

Awards & Recognitions

File:Greenglobe21.jpg
Green Globe Certified Airport
Main article: KLIA Awards & Recognitions

Since its inauguration in year 1998,it has won numerous awards from international organizations around the world such as Skytrax and International Air Transport Association.

KLIA's commitment to promote environment responsibility for all local and foreign travellers was recognized by Green Globe, which is the first and only airport in the world to receive Green Globe 21 certificate in year 2004 onwards.[18]

Since its inauguration on 27 June,1998, the airport has set a benchmark in global aviation industry for service excellence, winning numerous awards. With its continuous effort to provide excellent services to passengers, the airport has emerged as the top five airports in the world, although still losing out to Singapore Changi Airport, Hong Kong International Airport and Incheon International Airport in Asia region.

Ground transportation

Inter-terminal transportation

Terminals of Kuala Lumpur International Airport are well connected with KLIA Automated People Mover (Aerotrain), a three-car driverless train that runs on elevated rail and under the taxiways, and also bus system.

Aerotrain station in Satellite Building
Main Terminal Building – LCCT
The LCCT is connected with the Main Terminal Building with a green-coded NadiKLIA bus for RM1.50. The Malaysian government announced in November 2006 that it had approved in principle the construction of a rail link between the Main Terminal Building and LCCT. However, the construction is pending until the new LCCT hub complex is fully constructed by 2010.
Main Terminal Building – Satellite Terminal A
The Main Terminal Building and Satellite Building are connected by Aerotrain at three to five minute intervals. The journey between terminals takes under two minutes, and each 250-person capacity train is able to transport 3,000 passengers per hour per direction with the maximum speed being 56 km/h (35mp/h). This is a complimentary service for all passengers traveling to/from Satellite Terminal

Rail

Main articles: KLIA Ekspres, KLIA Transit,KLIA ERL station,KL Sentral
Infrastructure
Passenger terminal buildings
Totals (current) (Inc. LCCT Expansion)
Floor area 51,4694 m² Unknown m²
Handling capacity 35 million passengers 40 million passengers
Parking bays 46 (aerobridge)
68 (contact)
21 (remote) 		46 (aerobridge)
68(Inc.LCCT) (contact)
21 (remote)
Main Terminal Building & Contact Pier
Opened 27 June 1998 (operational)
Floor area 336,000 m²
Handling capacity 25 million passengers
Parking bays 20 (aerobridge)
23 (remote)
Satellite Terminal A
Opened 27 June 1998 (operational)
Floor area 143,404 m²
Handling capacity 25 million passengers
Parking bays 26 (aerobridge)
15 (remote)
Low Cost Carrier Terminal
Opened 23 March 2006 (operational)
Floor area 35,290 m²
Handling capacity 10 million passengers
Parking bays 30
Bunga Raya Complex
Opened 27 June 1998 (official)
Floor area Unknown
Handling capacity
Parking bays 1

Kuala Lumpur International Airport can be reached by the KLIA Ekspres and the KLIA Transit. KLIA Ekspres provides a non-stop express train service to the KL City Air Terminal (KL CAT) which has an IATA designation XKL, part of the Kuala Lumpur Sentral transportation hub in Kuala Lumpur. The non-stop trip between Kuala Lumpur and KLIA is 57 kilometers and takes exactly 28 minutes. Passengers departing from KL CAT can check in their luggage for flights on Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Royal Brunei Airlines and Malaysia Airlines. Whereas KLIA Transit is a high-speed commuter train service linking Kuala Lumpur Sentral, and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport ERL station. It shares the same tracks as the KLIA Ekspres but with stops at several major stations. Check-in facilities are not available at KLIA Transit stations. Passengers to/from Low Cost Carrier Terminal can reach KLIA ERL station by boarding the Feeder Bus provided.

Taxis and limousine

Airport taxis or airport limousines are provided by Airport Limo. The taxis and limousines are readily available at the Taxi and Limousine counters. They run from airport itself to destinations in Klang Valley and Greater Klang Valley. The fares are to be paid at the counter and are charged according to the destinations' zone. A surcharge is applied for services between 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. Passengers are advised to refer to Fare Table for further information on charges.

The coupons for taxis and limousines can be obtained with assistance from counter staff at the 4 counters located at:

  1. The International arrival area just after Customs before the public arrival area, level 3, Main Terminal Building
  2. The Domestic arrival hall area by the door 3, level 3, Main Terminal Building
  3. The Domestic Baggage Reclaim area, level 3, Main Terminal Building
  4. The International and Domestic Arrival Hall of Low Cost Carrier Terminal

There are four classes of taxi and limousine:

Taxi Class Type Capacity
Budget Taxi Daewoo Tacuma 3/4 Passengers
Proton Wira 3 Passengers
Premier Limo Renault Enviro 4/5 Passengers
Mercedes Benz E220 4 Passengers
Super Luxury Jaguar S-Type 3 Passengers
Family Car Kia Pregio Van 8 Passengers

Bus

Buses functioned as the main transport mode for cost-conscious travellers as well as local airport staff. Price of the tickets are relatively low,as low as RM9.00

Service Destination Notes
Airport Coach
Express Coach Kuala Lumpur Sentral
Express Coach Ampang Line, Chan Sow Lin Interchange Station
Semi Express Nilai KTM Station
Triton Bus
Express Coach Ipoh
Express Coach Kuantan
Express Coach Termeloh
KR Travel & Tours
Airport Coach Nilai KTM Station via LCCT
YoYo Bus Service
Express Coach Ipoh
KLIA LCCT Shuttle Bus
SkyBus KL Sentral
KR Travel and Tours Nilai KTM Station
AeroBus KL Sentral
NadiKLIA KLIA Main Terminal building
Star Shuttle Jalan Ipoh - Titiwangsa - Shah Alam - Subang Jaya

Car rental

Cars may be rented 24 hours a day at the car rental counters in the arrival concourse in the main terminal building.

Airlines and destinations

As of September 2007, airlines serving this airport include:

Main Terminal Building

  • Lion Air (Jakarta,Surabaya)
  • Malaysia Airlines (Alor Star, Bintulu, Johor Bahru, Kota Bharu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu, Kuching, Labuan, Langkawi, Miri, Penang, Sandakan, Sibu, Tawau)
Operations and Statistics
Departure lounge with large windows for light and aircraft viewing.
Operational statistics[19]
Passenger movements
1998 6,524,405 2003 17,454,564
1999 13,172,635 2004 21,058,572
2000 14,732,876 2005 23,213,926
2001 14,538,831 2006 24,570,385
2002 16,398,230 2007
Airfreight movements in tonnes (tons)
1998 156,641 2003 586,195
1999 417,068 2004 651,747
2000 510,594 2005 653,654
2001 440,864 2006 672,888
2002 527,124 2007
Aircraft movements
1998 64,123 2003 139,590
1999 116,589 2004 164,483
2000 109,925 2005 182,537
2001 113,590 2006 183,869
2002 127,952 2007
Departure and Arrival building.
Airplanes at Contact Pier

Satellite Building

Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT)

  • AirAsia (Alor Star, Bandar Seri Begawan, Banda Aceh[Starts November 2007] Bandung, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Bintulu, Chiang Mai, Denpasar/Bali, Hanoi, Jakarta, Johor Bahru, Kota Bharu, Kota Kinabalu,Krabi, Kuala Terengganu, Kuching, Labuan, Langkawi, Macau, Manila-Clark, Medan, Miri, Padang, Palembang, Pekan Baru, Penang, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Sandakan, Shenzhen, Sibu, Siem Reap, Solo, Surabaya, Tawau, Vientiane[Starts November 2007])
  • Cebu Pacific (Manila)

Charter Flights

Cargo Airlines

The following cargo airlines also serve the airport:

Previous users

Incidents

  • In 2001, a Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 aircraft suffered nose damage as it entered a monsoon drainage ditch while it was being taxied from the hangar to the gate before a return flight to Saudi Arabia. None of the six crew members on board at the time were injured.
  • On July 14,2007, an aerobridge suddenly shifted downwards, damaging the door of a Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330 bound for Beijing. The aerobridge was not occupied at the time, and no passengers or crew were injured.[25]

References

  1. ^ KLIA First Flights
  2. ^ a b Lim Kit Siang. Media release. July 3 1998.
  3. ^ Passengers at Kuala Lumpur Airport up despite fewer airlines. Asian Economic News. August 6, 2001.
  4. ^ KLIA Bags 3 Global Awards 2007 14 March 2007
  5. ^ KLIA-LCCT Rail Link to be Built in 2007
  6. ^ The Star. Once the expansion of LCCT is completed, it will be able to handle 15 million passengers per annum.Upgrade for LCCT next year. November 08,2006
  7. ^ Proposal of new LCC Hub
  8. ^ KLIA upgrade to cost RM108 million
  9. ^ MAHB upgrade KLIA to take in A380
  10. ^ Siemens. Siemens equips Kuala Lumpur Airport with high-speed baggage handling system. April.
  11. ^ The Star. Eight fined over theft from baggage at airport. March 1 2006.
  12. ^ IATA to facilitate usage of RFID in KLIA
  13. ^ MAHB Annual Report 2005
  14. ^ The Star. High flyer December.
  15. ^ KLIA to restrict LAG for all flights
  16. ^ MAHB Retail Revenue Plan
  17. ^ 9 firms shortlisted for KLIA retail expansion project
  18. ^ KLIA receive prestigous Green Globe 21 certificate
  19. ^ [1]
  20. ^ Air India Express Expected to touch Malaysian grounds in Oct 2007
  21. ^ a b c 2 more Indian airlines flying KLIA
  22. ^ a b c Mas Starts Lahore Flight
  23. ^ KLIA Annual Report 2006
  24. ^ MasKargo Tashkent
  25. ^ Aerobridge at KLIA Breakdown
Panoramic view of Main Terminal Building and Contact Pier
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