Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (Malay: Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah), (formerly Subang International Airport/Kuala Lumpur International Airport), often called Subang Airport or Subang Skypark, (IATA: SZB, ICAO: WMSA) is an airport located in Subang, Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia.

Quick Facts Summary, Airport type ...

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah
Exterior view of the newly refurbished Subang skypark terminal from the pavement
IATA: SZB ICAO: WMSA WMO: 48647
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	MASB/Government Of Malaysia
Serves	Klang Valley, West Malaysia
Location	Subang, Selangor, Malaysia
Opened	30 August 1965; 58 years ago (1965-08-30)
Hub for	Firefly Raya Airways SKS Airways
Focus city for	Batik Air Malaysia Berjaya Air
Time zone	MST (UTC+08:00)
Elevation AMSL	89 ft / 27 m
Coordinates	03°07′52″N 101°32′53″E
Maps
Selangor state in Malaysia
SZB /WMSA Location in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia Show map of Selangor SZB /WMSA SZB /WMSA (Peninsular Malaysia) Show map of Peninsular Malaysia SZB /WMSA SZB /WMSA (Malaysia) Show map of Malaysia SZB /WMSA SZB /WMSA (Southeast Asia) Show map of Southeast Asia SZB /WMSA SZB /WMSA (Asia) Show map of Asia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 15/33 3,780 12,402 Asphalt concrete
Statistics (2020)
Passenger 949,934 ( 58.0%) Airfreight (tonnes) 58,260 ( 68.1%) Aircraft movements 49,454 ( 38.6%)
Source: official web site[1] AIP Malaysia[2]

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Subang International Airport served as Kuala Lumpur's main airport from 1965 to 1998, before the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang was opened. Although plans existed to convert the airport into a low-cost carrier base, the change was opposed by Subang Jaya residents. The airport was repurposed to serve general aviation as well as turboprop domestic and international flights. In 1996, the airport was renamed after Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj (Salahuddin of Selangor), the eleventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and eighth Sultan of Selangor.

Subang Airport is currently the base for SKS Airways and Firefly commercial turboprop services. Raya Airways is the only other non-passenger non-turbo prop aircraft landing and utilising Subang Airport Terminal 2. While heavily opposed by Ara Damansara residents of the noise of the jet engines, Raya Airways still operates out of SZB servicing DHL and other local hubs.

Work on the Subang International Airport started in 1961 and finished in 1965 at a cost of $64 million. Its deceptively simple design consisted of a roof composed of floating concrete shells that was held aloft by mushroom-shaped columns. Partners in the Booty Edwards Architectural practice Kington Loo and C.H.R Bailey are typically attributed with the design. The open structure also featured a massive circular ramp, reminiscent of Berthold Lubetkin's penguin pavilion in London. Most of the structure was removed during a major reconstruction in 1983.^[3]

The airport was officially opened to traffic on 30 August 1965, and had the longest runway (3,780 m (12,401 ft 7 in) long, 45 m (147 ft 8 in) wide – runway 15 – 33) in Southeast Asia, replacing Sungai Besi Airport. By the 1990s, the airport had three terminals – Terminal 1 for international flights, Terminal 2 for Singapore – Kuala Lumpur shuttle flights by Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines, and Terminal 3 for domestic flights. Toward the end of service, the airport suffered at least two major fires that forced traffic to be diverted to other airports. By the end of 1997, Subang Airport had handled 15.8 million passengers. ^{[citation needed]} In 2003 terminal 1 was demolished.^[4]

In July 2002, AirAsia began flying from KLIA, and in 2004, AirAsia considered utilising the airport as a primary hub in Malaysia. However, the plan was rejected and the Malaysian government planned to turn the airport into an international conference centre.^{[citation needed]} Since Firefly started operations in the airport, AirAsia has been lobbying the government to allow AirAsia to use Subang Airport. As of December 2007, the government still maintains its policy of only allowing general aviation and turbo-prop flights out of Subang Airport.^[5] The airport underwent renovation works at Terminal 3 from February 2008 and was finished in October 2009. Terminal 3 was renamed to Subang Skypark.

Raya Airways, a national cargo carrier, chose Subang Airport as its main cargo operation center. Several companies offer chartered flights and helicopter services from the airport. One of the largest FBO (Fixed-Base Operator) in the region (with covered hangar space of more than 100,000 sq ft (9,290 m²)), Dnest Aviation Services is also based in this airport. Their newest hangar boast a "first of its kind" infrastructure capable of taking in either a 737 BBJ or A319 ACJ and 2 basement floors directly underneath it with ample of office space, lecture rooms, carpark and a cafeteria. A number of flying clubs are also located at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah airport, the most famous of these being Subang Flying Club, Air Adventure Flying Club, Eurocopter (An EADS Company), ESB Flying Club(Eurodynamic Sdn Bhd). With Eurocopter, the airport serves as a maintenance and support facility for Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency helicopters.

Berjaya Air's head office is in the Berjaya Hangar in the SkyPark Terminal Building.^[6] Previously the head office was in Terminal 3.^[7] Transmile Air Services has its head office in the Transmile Centre in the Cargo Complex.^[8] The main headquarters of Malaysia Airlines was previously in Subang,^[9] consisting of administrative departments & its maintenance, repair and overhaul subsidiary, MAS Aerospace.^[10] In addition, another MAS subsidiary, Firefly also operates a fleet of ATR 72 out of Subang.^[11]

Apart from that, Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport was to be a hub for Global Flying Hospitals, but the humanitarian medical charity made the decision to close down Malaysian Operations, stating that the elements to make the correct formula for the GFH model were not present.

This section does not cite any sources. (April 2023)

The next phase of development will entail the refurbishment of the former Terminal 2 (T2) of the SAAS airport into an extension of the SkyPark Terminal 3. Works are scheduled to commence end of 2017 with an estimated construction period of 24 months. The combined capacity of T2 and T3 will be 5 million passengers.

With a retail extension of 320,000 sq ft (29,729 m²), the project will include airport facilities and services and a multilevel car park of 350,000 sq ft (32,516 m²) with 1,155 bays. The extension will also include an entertainment / event deck that overlooks the runway, a first of its kind, open to public, in Malaysia.

This section does not cite any sources. (April 2023)

Skypark Commercial Nexus is a mixed development commercial project sited on a 5.13-hectare (12.7-acre) plot adjoined to the main terminal. Among the proposed highlights of the Nexus would be a hotel, entertainment outlets, aviation museum and an aviation theme park (subject to approval from authority). A multi-storey car park is also included. Construction work is expected to commence in early 2014. The upcoming railway line is planned to connect SkyPark Nexus to Subang Jaya KTMB station.

• 11 May 1976 – British Airways Flight 888, a Boeing 747-100 from London to Melbourne via Bahrain, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, was on approach to Runway 15 when it flew below the normal flight path, hitting trees 2.2 nautical miles before the runway threshold. On landing, inspection of the aircraft revealed damage on the main landing gear; strike marks on the fuselage and engine intakes; and evidence of debris ingestion on the two left-side engines.^[28]
• 27 September 1977 – Japan Airlines Flight 715, a Douglas DC-8, crashed into a hill in bad weather while attempting to land on Runway 15. 34 people, including 8 of the 10 crew members and 26 of the 69 passengers, were killed when the aircraft broke on impact.
• 18 December 1983 – Malaysian Airline System Flight 684, an Airbus A300 from Singapore crashed 2 km short of the runway while approaching Runway 15 in bad weather. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was written off. Ironically, the aircraft was operating its last scheduled flight for Malaysian Airline System, before being returned to its original operator, Scandinavian Airlines System.^[29]
• 19 February 1989 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 66, a Boeing 747-200F from Singapore crashed 12 kilometres from the airport while on approach to Runway 33. The pilots misinterpreted the controller's instructions to descend, causing the aircraft to fly below minimum altitude and crash into a hillside on the outskirts of Puchong. All four flight crew were killed.^[30]
• 18 March 2019 – At approximately 3.20am, an accident had happened on the runway of Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport Subang involving a privately owned Bombardier Challenger 300 and an airport engineering vehicle. The vehicle was on the runway to escort contractors fixing the lighting of the runway when the airport staff driving it fell asleep while waiting for the contractors to finish their work. The contractors vacated the runway upon seeing the landing lights of the approaching aircraft while the airport staff in the vehicle had died from the incident a few days later. Two air traffic controllers were suspended due to the incident.^[31][32]
• 24 March 2021 - At 9.25am, an Airbus AS350 B3 helicopter crashed at the airport. There were five people on board, including one pilot and four passengers. All the victims were taken to the hospital for further treatment, two persons were reportedly injured and one suffered a broken leg and head injury. It left Sungai Lembing in Pahang at 8.30am and was on a private flight to Subang via Maran, Temerloh, Karak and the Batu Caves. A safety investigation will be conducted by Malaysia's Air Accident Investigation Bureau.^[33]
• 17 August 2023 - At 2.51pm, N28JV, a Beechcraft Premier I crashed at a highway two minutes drive from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport. There were 10 casualties involving 8 people on the aircraft including YB Datuk Seri Johari Harun and 2 people on the highway. The aircraft departed Langkawi International Airport at 2.08pm heading to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport.^[34]

1. AIROD is located north of the passenger terminal and occupies the land there.
2. RMAF Subang Air Base, is located on the western side of the runway, shared with the MMEA hangar
3. Various hangars storing corporate jets are located south of the Passenger Terminal
4. The cargo terminal, the base of Raya Air is actually located across the main road, featuring a taxiway crossing the road. Airbus Helicopters has an office at that same location.
5. The Police Air Unit base for Peninsular Malaysia is located at the extreme south of the airfield, the latest addition after shifting there from Sungai Besi Air Base in 2018.