Tawau Airport
"RAF Tawau" & "Tawau Airbase/Airfield" redirects here.
| Tawau Airport Lapangan Terbang Tawau 斗湖机场 |
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IATA: TWU – ICAO: WBKW
 TWU
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Government of Malaysia | ||
| Operator | Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad | ||
| Serves | Tawau Division, Sabah, East Malaysia | ||
| Location | Tawau, Sabah, East Malaysia | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 57 ft / 17 m | ||
| Coordinates | 04°18′48″N 118°07′19″E / 4.31333°N 118.12194°E | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 06/24 | 2,682 | 8,800 | asphalt |
| Statistics (2009) | |||
| Passenger movements | 866,601 | ||
| Airfreight movements in tonnes | 1,262 | ||
| Aircraft movements | 8,546 | ||
| Sources: official web site[1] and DAFIF[2][3] | |||
Tawau Airport (Malay : Lapangan Terbang Tawau) (IATA: TWU, ICAO: WBKW) is an airport located in Tawau, a town in the state of Sabah in Malaysia. It is the second airport in Sabah with immigration counters for international flights. The airport is 31 km from town. The new runway could cater for aircraft as big as Airbus series. The airport currently handles only domestic flights from Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Kuala Lumpur. International flights to Tarakan in East Kalimantan, Indonesia are currently suspended.
Like other airports in the country, Tawau Airport is under the management of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd.
Tawau airport is the nearest airport to the diving islands of Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai.
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[edit] History
During the early days, Tawau airport was located on Jalan Utara, literally known as Northern road about 2 miles away from Tawau. The airport was officially opened in 1968 by the former Transport Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Haji Sardon. It was only used to cater to small aircraft, such as Fokker 50.
However on 15 September 1995, a Malaysian Airlines Fokker 50 from Kota Kinabalu touched down 500m before the end of the 2200m long runway. While attempting to carry out a go-around, the aircraft crashed into a Malay village, kampung Seri Menanti, causing 34 fatalities including two crews.[4] Another MAS Boeing 737-400 plane was skidded off the runway in October 2001 without any causing any injuries to the passengers.
Tawau New Airport
At present, this airport is being expanded to accommodate medium wide-body aircraft with 2 aerobridges. In 2008, the airport handled 700,859 passengers, 19,328 aircraft movements and over 8,900 metric tonnes of cargo. The airport is able to handle over 1.8 million passengers per year.[1]
According to a survey, the old airport has one of the shortest runways in the country. Soon, a new international airport was in the government blue plan to shift Tawau airport to a new location along Tawau – Semporna highway, 30 km from Tawau.
The airport was subsequently opened to public in December 2001. In year 2003, Tawau Airport was officially launched by the former Transport Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik. Tawau Airport became the second largest airport in Sabah after Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
[edit] Overview
Tawau Airport is located at Balung, 3KM further in from airport highway. Tawau Airport was to be built as the most southeast international airport in Malaysia.
- Runway
Tawau airport has a 2682m long fully service runway, namely runway 06 and runway 24. Runway 24 is equipped with Instrument Landing System(ILS) while runway 06 doesn't.
- Airport Terminal
The terminal is a one and a half stories building, which consists of 2 aerobridges, and its large appron can accommodate 8 aircraft at one time.
- Car Park
Open air car park is provided with 500 parking lots.
- Police Station
An airport police station is located just at the opposite of the main terminal building.
- Taxi and Town Shuttle Bus Service
Taxi coupon or town shuttle bus ticket to Tawau or Semporna can be bought at the respective counters inside the terminal.
- Traffic and Passenger Flow
In 2008, 768,967 passengers went through the airport with 10,546 aircraft movements.[1]
[edit] Traffic and Statistics
| Years | Passenger Movements | Aircraft Movements | Cargo Movements in Metric Tonnes | Cargo Movements in Kilograms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 551,168 | 8,368 | 2,701 | 5,954 | |
| 2004 | 620,847 | 8,900 | 2,968 | 6,543 | |
| 2005 | 680,901 | 9,814 | 3,885 | 8,564 | |
| 2006 | 660,331 | 9,215 | 3,030 | 6,679 | |
| 2007 | 736,646 | 7,992 | 2,134 | 2,133,629 | |
| 2008 | 768,967 | 8,546 | 1,262 | 1,262,197 | |
| 2009 | 866,601 | 9,876 | 1,951 | 1,951 | |
| 2010 | 897,848 | 10,845 | 3,044 | 3,044 |
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| AirAsia | Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur |
| Malaysia Airlines | Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur |
| MASwings | Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tarakan(13th Feb 2012) |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Tawau Airport, Sabah at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
- ^ Airport information for WBKW at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
- ^ Airport information for TWU at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
- ^ Aircraft accident Fokker 50 9M-MGH Tawau Airport (TWU) on 15 Sep 1995
[edit] External links
- Tawau Airport, Sabah at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
- Current weather for WBKW at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for TWU at Aviation Safety Network
