Senai International Airport

Senai International Airport

Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Senai
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerMMC Corporation Berhad
OperatorSenai Airport Terminal Services Sdn Bhd
Serves
LocationSenai, Kulai District, Johor, Malaysia
Opened1974; 50 years ago (1974)
Operating base forAirAsia
Time zoneMST (UTC+08:00)
Elevation AMSL127 ft / 39 m
Coordinates01°38′26″N 103°40′13″E / 1.64056°N 103.67028°E / 1.64056; 103.67028
Websitewww.senaiairport.com
Maps
Johor state in Malaysia
Johor state in Malaysia
JHB/WMKJ is located in Johor
JHB/WMKJ
JHB/WMKJ
JHB/WMKJ is located in Peninsular Malaysia
JHB/WMKJ
JHB/WMKJ
JHB/WMKJ (Peninsular Malaysia)
JHB/WMKJ is located in Malaysia
JHB/WMKJ
JHB/WMKJ
JHB/WMKJ (Malaysia)
JHB/WMKJ is located in Southeast Asia
JHB/WMKJ
JHB/WMKJ
JHB/WMKJ (Southeast Asia)
JHB/WMKJ is located in Asia
JHB/WMKJ
JHB/WMKJ
JHB/WMKJ (Asia)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
16/34 3,800 12,467 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passenger3,010,000 (Increase 71.23%)
Airfreight (tonnes)10,120 (Decrease 31.1%)
Aircraft movements42,000 (Increase 63.2%)
Sources: AIP Malaysia[1][2]

Senai International Airport (IATA: JHB, ICAO: WMKJ), formerly known as Sultan Ismail International Airport[3] is an international airport in the town of Senai, Kulai District, Johor, Malaysia, serving Johor Bahru and the southernmost region of Peninsular Malaysia. The airport is located approximately 22 km north-west of the Johor Bahru city centre.

History

[edit]
Senai airport interior

Opened in 1974, the airport is managed and operated by Senai Airport Terminal Services Sdn Bhd (SATSSB) which took over the operations from Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) in 2003 under a 50-year concession to develop the airport.[citation needed] SATSSB is currently wholly owned by MMC Corporation Berhad. Senai International Airport is currently the only privately managed public airport in Malaysia. SATSSB also operates Kerteh Airport for Petronas.[citation needed]

Plans for expanding the airport was announced in 1978.[4]

The federal government planned to upgrade the airport in 1990, costing RM 100 million.[5] It was approved in April 1990.[6]

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines' planned to reroute its international flights to the airport instead of Singapore Changi as it is cheaper.[5] The plan was approved in August 1991.[7]

In September 1990, Malaysia Airlines began adding direct flights from the airport to Kuala Terengganu attract tourists to Terengganu and Kelantan. [8]

In April 1992, Malaysia Airlines began weekly flights from Senai to Hong Kong, marking "a new era" for the airport.[9]

In 1993, Senai Airport was upgraded, costing RM 93 million. The uprgade works include expansions to the terminal and runway, and the construction of an aerobridge. The upgrade would enable the airport to carry more McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft than before,[10] with traffic increased to 100 flights weekly.[7]

Senai International Airport is capable of handling up to 4.5 million passengers and 80,000 tonnes of cargo per annum.[citation needed]

Senai International Airport serves as the aviation gateway for Iskandar Malaysia and the southern region, and is dedicated to providing routes and services essential to cater the needs of both tourism and business travelers. Equipped with a 3,800-metre Category 4E runway, Senai International Airport can handle aircraft up to large jets such as the Airbus A350 XWB, the Boeing 777 and even the Antonov An-124 Ruslan freighter. Currently, there are four airlines operating at Senai International Airport, serving 12 domestic and 6 international destinations.[citation needed]

In 2019, Senai International Airport handled a total of 4,254,922 passengers and 15,010 tons of freight with a combination of 52,030 scheduled and non-scheduled commercial aircraft movements. Currently the terminal is being expanded to handle 5 million passengers by 2023.[11]

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

[edit]
AirlinesDestinations
AirAsia Alor Setar, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Ipoh, Kota Bharu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur–International, Kuching, Langkawi, Miri, Penang, Sibu, Tawau
Batik Air Malaysia Bangkok–Don Mueang (begins 1 December 2024),[12] Kuala Lumpur–International
Charter: Haikou, Kunming
Firefly Kuala Lumpur–Subang, Penang
Indonesia AirAsia Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Surabaya
Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur–International
Charter: Medina
Thai AirAsia Bangkok–Don Mueang
TransNusa Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta[13]

Traffic and statistics

[edit]
Annual passenger traffic at JHB airport. See Wikidata query.
Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics [14]
Year
Passengers
handled
Passenger
% change
Cargo
(tonnes)
Cargo
% change
Aircraft
movements
Aircraft
% change
2009 1,316,082 Steady N/A Steady N/A Steady
2010 1,235,400 Decrease 6.1 6,239 Steady 11,934 Steady
2011 1,337,562 Increase 8.3 5,438 Decrease 12.8 15,167 Increase 27.1
2012 1,376,383 Increase 3.0 3,149 Decrease 42.1 12,506 Decrease 17.4
2013 1,989,979 Increase 44.6 3,443 Increase 9.3 37,998 Increase 203.8
2014 2,325,816 Increase 16.9 4,934 Increase 43.3 42,976 Increase 13.1
2015 2,581,966 Increase 11.1 5,272 Increase 6.9 41,892 Decrease 2.5
2016 2,828,074 Increase 12.1 6,245 Increase 18.0 42,744 Increase 2.0
2017 3,124,799 Increase 10.5 7,614 Increase 21.9 46,497 Increase 3.0
2018 3,522,519 Increase 12.7 9,691 Increase 27.0 52,030 Increase 12.0
2019 4,270,144 Increase 21.2 14,694 Increase 51.6 58,313 Increase 12.1
2020 1,096,517 Decrease 74.3 10,120 Decrease 31.1 21,481 Decrease 63.2
2021 371,754 Decrease 33.4 10,120 Decrease 31.1 21,481 Decrease 63.2
2022 2,144,036 Increase 476.7 10,120 Decrease 31.1 21,481 Decrease 63.2
2023 3,010,000 Increase 71.23 10,120 Decrease 31.1 42,000 Increase 63.2
Source: Ministry of Transport[15]
Busiest domestic flights out of Senai International Airport by frequency as of September 2023
Rank Destinations Frequency (weekly) Airlines
1 Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur 53 AK, MH, OD
2 Penang Penang, Pulau Pinang 49 AK, FY
3 Selangor Subang, Selangor 42 FY, OD
4 Sarawak Kuching, Sarawak 24 AK
5 Sabah Kota Kinabalu, Sabah 14 AK
6 Sarawak Sibu, Sarawak 7 AK
7 Perak Ipoh, Perak 7 AK
8 Kedah Langkawi, Kedah 4 AK
9 Kedah Alor Setar, Kedah 4 AK
10 Sabah Tawau, Sabah 4 AK
11 Kelantan Kota Bharu, Kelantan 3 AK
12 Sarawak Miri, Sarawak 2 AK
Busiest international flights out of Senai International Airport by frequency as of September 2023
Rank Destinations Frequency (weekly) Airlines
1 Indonesia Jakarta-Soekarno Hatta, Indonesia 14 QZ, 8B
2 Thailand Bangkok-Don Mueang, Thailand 11 FD
3 Vietnam Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam 7 AK
4 China Guangzhou, China 7 AK
5 Indonesia Surabaya, Indonesia 7 QZ
6 China Haikou, China 2 OD
7 Saudi Arabia Medina, Saudi Arabian 1 MH

Ground transport

[edit]

Senai International Airport is connected to PLUS Highway, Senai–Desaru Expressway and Second Link Expressway. Taxis are available outside the airport. Buses are available to the city centre with the option to transit to Singapore.[16]

Causeway Link provides the commuters a route to JB Sentral.

Bus no. Destinations
AA1[17] JB Sentral

Senai Business Aviation Terminal (SBAT)

[edit]

SATSSB also operates SBAT, a private aviation terminal located just beside the airport's main terminal building and sharing the same infrastructure. True to its name, SBAT features business facilities including meeting and conference rooms, and dining and private rest facilities.

Senai Airport Free Industrial Zone (SAFIZ)

[edit]

SAFIZ forms part of Senai International Airport's total land area and operates as a free industrial zone for several multinational factories and distribution hubs, including Pokka, Celestica and BMW.

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ WMKJ – JOHOR BAHRU/SENAI INTERNATIONAL at Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia
  2. ^ "Senai International Airport : About Senai Airport : Facts at a Glance". Senaiairport.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  3. ^ "Senai International Airport - Introduction". Senai International Airport.
  4. ^ "Senai airport runway to be extended". The Straits Times. 7 March 1978. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b "'Re-route flights through Senai' call to MAS". The Straits Times. 4 August 1990. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  6. ^ "KL okays $63.4m to expand airport in Johor". The Straits Times. 13 April 1990. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b "MAS 'yes' to using Senai as stopover point for global flights". The Straits Times. 7 August 1991. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Direct Kelantan and Trengganu flights to woo S'pore tourists". The Straits Times. 5 September 1990. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Direct JB-Hongkong flights mark new era for Senai airport". The Straits Times. 2 January 1992. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Johor airport upgrading to cost M$93m". Business Times (Singapore). 15 April 1992. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Statistic:Aviation". Ministry of Transport. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  12. ^ "Batik Air Malaysia Adds Johor Bahru – Bangkok From Dec 2024". AeroRoutes. 20 September 2024.
  13. ^ "TransNusa Buka Rute Penerbangan Baru Jakarta-Johor Bahru Mulai 7 September 2023". Kumparan (in Indonesian). Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  14. ^ Senai Airport Terminal Services Sdn Bhd
  15. ^ "Malaysia Transportation Statistics 2020" (PDF). Ministry of Transport. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  16. ^ "By Bus".
  17. ^ AA1
[edit]
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