Sibu Airport
| Sibu Airport Lapangan Terbang Sibu 诗巫机场 |
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IATA: SBW – ICAO: WBGS
 SBW
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Government of Malaysia | ||
| Operator | Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad | ||
| Serves | Bintangor, Sarikei, Kapit, and Sibu, Sarawak, East Malaysia | ||
| Location | Sibu, Sarawak, East Malaysia | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 122 ft / 37 m | ||
| Coordinates | 02°15′41″N 111°59′07″E / 2.26139°N 111.98528°E | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 13/31 | 2,754 | 9,036 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2010) | |||
| Passengers | 1,009,002 | ||
| Aircraft movements | 18,985 | ||
| Cargo in tonnes | 1,133 | ||
| Sources: official web site[1] and DAFIF[2][3] | |||
Sibu Airport (IATA: SBW, ICAO: WBGS) is an airport located in Sibu, a town in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. In 2010, the airport handled 1,009,002 passengers on 18,985 flights and also handled 1,133 metric tonnes of cargo.[1]
In April 2009, the airport was given RM 150 million for an upgrade of the terminal building. Its terminal will be larger than Miri Airport and Bintulu Airport.On September 23 2010,Sarawak Minister of Finance and Public Health, Dato' Sri Wong Soon Koh had announced that the expansion project is now on. The expansion project is estimated to be completed in September 2012.[4] The west wing of the extended terminal is expected to become operational on December 19, 2011.[5]
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[edit] History
[edit] Old Airport
The first airport in Sibu was built in Teku,during World War II by the Japanese as a basic air strip.However,the airstrip was heavily bombed by Allied Forces. After the war, the airport was further developed to house basic airport amenities such as departure lounge and public waiting area. The airport was capable to support Fokker F27 Friendship (and later Fokker 50) and Twin Otter flights.
On 15 August 1990, a Lockheed C-130H Hercules belonging to the Royal Malaysian Air Force skidded off the runway and the aircraft had been written off. It was believed that those on board are part of the royal entourage visit to Sibu.[6]
On 2 September 1992, a Fokker 50 aircraft landing gear failed, causing the aircraft to veered off the runway and into the bushes. [7]
The old airport has been demolished to make way for Laila Taib College (formerly known as UCS-United College of Sarawak) & Tun Zaidi Stadium. The runway of the old airport can still be seen and half of it is used as the connecting road for the stadium.
[edit] New Airport
The actual official date of operation of the new airport began 1 June 1994. On 31 May 1994 the inaugural landing of four Malaysia Airlines aircraft occurred. To be precise, the aircraft were 3 Fokker 50 and 1 Boeing 737. They were the pioneers to land on the Sibu New Airport Runway which at that time measured 1,981 metres in length and 45 metres wide.
On that remarkably historical night, the air traffic clearance “Clear to land” was issued from the Sibu Air Traffic Control Tower on the assigned frequency 122.6 MHZ to the first Boeing 737-500 to land on the asphalt surface of the designated Runway 13.
That night not only marked the first landing of a turbo-prop commercial aircraft on Sibu ground but subsequently it also commemorated the commencement of operation of the new airport located 23 kilometres East South-East of Sibu town.
Sibu New Airport was built with a single runway designated as Runway 13/Runway 31. It was previously 1,981 metres long and 45 metres wide but since the completion of the extension under the 7th Malaysian Plan (RMK7) for ‘Sibu Airport Development Plan’, the length was extended to 2,745 metres. And the new runway length was commissioned to be used on the 9 May 2006. The extended length is able to cater the landing of an Airbus A330 or other wide bodied jet aircraft.
Runway 13 is equipped with an approach lighting system called Precision Approach Lighting Category 1, whereas Runway 31 with Simple Approach Lighting System. The other airside areas such as the taxiways (‘A’ and ‘B’) and apron are also furnished with appropriate lighting aids. The maximum capacity of the parking apron is one Airbus, two Boeing 737-400s, two Fokker 50 and two Twin Otter or similar aircraft. Only bay 2 and 3 are equipped with aerobridges functioning on Visual Docking and Guidance System. The functional Runway is also equipped with landing aids such as the Middle Marker (MM), Glide Path (GP), the Localizer (LLZ) and the PAPI. All the stated instruments are installed to be utilized by aircraft to assist them during the final approach process and landing manoeuvres. [8]
[edit] Expansion Project
The airport is undergoing an expansion project that involves upgrading of the Terminal building, car park and additional aerobridges and is expected to be completed in September 2012. Once completed the airport will able to handle 1.9 million passengers annually. The cost of the expansion is RM130 million. [9]
On 17 December 2011,photo of the brand-new Check-in counters[10] was posted on "I Love Sibu" Facebook group,and the new check-in counters was opened on December 19.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| AirAsia | Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching |
| Malaysia Airlines | Kuala Lumpur, Kuching |
| MASwings | Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Limbang, Miri |
[edit] Traffic and statistics
| Years | Passenger Movements | Aircraft Movements | Cargo Movements in Metric Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 624,738 | 18,905 | 2,455 |
| 1996 | 654,785 4.81% |
20,243 7.08% |
1,758 28.39% |
| 1997 | 631,7013.53% |
19,551 3.42% |
1,9048.3% |
| 1998 | 555,48312.07% |
17,099 12.54% |
1,49921.27% |
| 1999 | 620,83011.76% |
16,096 5.87% |
1,74516.41% |
| 2000 | 657,3755.89% |
15,743 2.19% |
1,8747.39% |
| 2001 | 725,44910.36% |
16,995 7.95% |
2,0067.04% |
| 2002 | 759,7044.72% |
17,113 0.69% |
1,9164.49% |
| 2003 | 817,687 7.63% |
16,885 1.33% |
1,70111.22% |
| 2004 | 903,108 10.45% |
17,650 4.53% |
1,5677.88% |
| 2005 | 920,930 1.97% |
17,330 1.81% |
1,37712.13% |
| 2006 | 898,9232.39% |
15,638 9.76% |
1,04024.47% |
| 2007 | 809,9559.9% |
12,536 19.84% |
89214.23% |
| 2008 | 831,7722.7% |
14,672 17.00% |
73517.50% |
| 2009 | 939,73212.98% |
17,449 18.93% |
85616.46% |
| 2010 | 1,009,0027.4% |
18,985 8.80% |
1,13332.10% |
| 2011 | 1,133,00012.29% |
| Rank | Destinations | Departure (Weekly) | Arrival (Weekly) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuching | 70 | 70 |
| 2 | Kuala Lumpur | 35 | 35 |
| 3 | Kota Kinabalu | 21 | 21 |
| 4 | Miri | 21 | 21 |
| 5 | Bintulu | 14 | 14 |
| 6 | Johor Bahru | 4 | 4 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Sibu Airport, Sarawak at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
- ^ Airport information for WBGS at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
- ^ Airport information for SBW at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
- ^ Jane Moh (24 September 2010). "RM137 mln Sibu Airport extension project begins". The Borneo Post. http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=72367. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/6/sarawak/10038183&sec=sarawak
- ^ ASN Accident Report
- ^ ASN Accident Report
- ^ [1]
- ^ No brakes on sibu airport expansion, says Minister
- ^ Photo of SBW new Check-in counters
- ^ "Sibu Airport". http://www.malaysiaairports.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
[edit] External links
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