Langkawi International Airport: Difference between revisions

Airport in Kedah, Malaysia

Langkawi International Airport (IATA: LGK, ICAO: WMKL) is an airport in Padang Matsirat, Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia.

In 2015, the airport handled 2,336,177 passengers and 30,853 aircraft movements.^[3]

The airport serves as a venue for the biennial Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA), an international aerospace event for aviation industry and aero performances for the public. The airport’s capacity was upgraded to accommodate 4 million passengers per year in September 2018.

¹: This flight operates with a stop in Penang. However, the airline has no eighth-freedom rights to transport passengers solely between Langkawi and Penang.

Langkawi Airport was initially used as an airfield by the Japanese Army, as well as the British Army in 1945.^[10]

A 2,500 feet (760 m) airstrip, which connects to the main road at Padang Mat Sirat, was built in 1961 and began operation in March 1962. The project cost RM330,000.^[11]

Under the Fifth Malaysia Plan, RM107 million was allocated for the expansion of Padang Mat Sirat Airport to accommodate larger aircraft.^[12]

By 1988, the airport already had modern facilities along with five other airports in Malaysia.^[13]

Over 477,000 people used the airport in 1992.^[14]

The airport has undergone Phase 1 expansion with the current capacity of 4 million passengers for approximately RM89 million. The gross floor area has been increased to 23,000 square meters (247570 sq ft), increased parking spaces to 600 bays and up to 8 boarding gates. The runway is capable of handling Boeing 747 aircraft.

There is a private premium lounge in the departure hall. Facilities include food & beverage, bar, Wi-Fi, shower facility, phone and charging station. It is exclusively for departing passengers. At passenger touchpoints there are now 30 check-in counters and 18 immigration counters.

Phase 2 of the expansion involves the construction of a proposed aerobridge, which is designed to handle the increasing volume of direct international flights. More amenities like arrival hall, commercial terminal, toilet, prayer rooms and driveway to the main terminal are to be included in the expansion.^[15]

Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics

Year	Passengers handled[a]	Passenger % change	Cargo (metric tonnes)[b]	Cargo % change	Aircraft movements	Aircraft % change
2003	726,817		287		8,931
2004	845,276	16.3	325	13.2	8,711	2.5
2005	830,334	1.8	449	38.1	8,964	2.9
2006	934,024	12.5	487	8.5	27,622	208.1
2007	1,122,911	20.2	524	7.6	43,234	56.5
2008	1,196,956	6.6	589	12.4	41,837	3.2
2009	1,359,271	13.6	572	2.9	39,815	4.8
2010	1,374,729	1.1	434	24.1	33,064	17.0
2011	1,504,697	9.4	646	48.8	31,482	4.8
2012	1,594,106	5.9	754	16.7	33,056	5.0
2013	1,946,440	22.1	630	16.4	29,309	11.3
2014	2,221,997	14.2	567	10.1	28,694	2.1
2015	2,336,177	5.1	647	14.1	30,853	7.5
2016	2,655,271	13.7	588	9.0	31,035	0.6
2017	2,767,707	4.2	759	29.0	31,863	2.7
2018	2,735,703	1.2	832	9.6	37,528	17.8
2019	2,946,150	7.7	907	9.0	44,599	18.8
2020	967,512	67.2	457	49.6	20,915	53.1
2021	762,142	21.2	214	53.2	12,499	40.2
2022	2,242,006	194.2	624	191.6	32,477	159.8
2023	2,503,901	11.7	467	25.2	27,234	16.1
2024	2,547,358	1.70	157	66.39	18,180	33.25
Source: Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad[16][17]

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