Malaysia Approves Subang Airport Redevelopment Plan

Firefly jet at Subang Airport
Credit: Stuart C. Clarke/Alamy Stock Photo

SINGAPORE—The Malaysian Transport Ministry has received the green light from the government to proceed with the redevelopment of the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB), better known as Subang Airport, near Kuala Lumpur.

According to local media outlet the New Straits Times, Transport Minister Anthony Loke says Subang airport will reach an annual capacity of eight million and will not compete with Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Loke says the aim is to develop Subang into a “premium airport” and a hub for private jet operations in addition to housing MRO facilities.

Loke says the government will determine the type of aircraft as well as the type of destinations and slots given to airlines operating at Subang.

Details on the design and scope of the redevelopment will be revealed within a month. The return of scheduled jet-powered airliners into the city airport has been confirmed.

AirAsia, MYAirlines and SKS Airways have all expressed the intention to fly out of Subang and have written to the relevant authorities to apply for slots. SKS, for example, will be leasing 10 Embraer E195-E2s with the aim to operate out of Subang to target business and time-sensitive travelers.

According to CAPA – Centre for Aviation/OAG data, there are currently 22,616 weekly seats from Subang, primarily from Malaysia Airlines’ subsidiary Firefly and Batik Air, both operating ATR 72 turboprops.

Chen Chuanren

Chen Chuanren is the Southeast Asia and China Editor for the Aviation Week Network’s (AWN) Air Transport World (ATW) and the Asia-Pacific Defense Correspondent for AWN, joining the team in 2017.