Departure
95%
vs 95%
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Kuching International Airport (WBGG/KCH) is Sarawak's principal gateway, lying some 11 km south of Kuching city centre on the island of Borneo. Operated by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, it is a busy international airport that shares its site with the Royal Malaysian Air Force base RMAF Kuching, home to No. 7 Squadron. For a simulator pilot it offers a long, well-equipped instrument runway set amid the river country of southwestern Sarawak.
Kuching International Airport serves the whole of southwestern Sarawak and is Malaysia's fourth busiest airport by traffic. It sits 11 km south of Kuching city centre and is colocated with the RMAF Kuching air base, home to No. 7 Squadron of the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The airport is a hub for the regional carrier AirBorneo and an operating base for AirAsia, giving it a mix of large jet and regional turboprop traffic that makes it an interesting destination for a VFR or IFR sim flight into Borneo.
The airport lies on the southwestern coastal plain of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo, close to the Kuching Metropolitan Area and within reach of the Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions that it serves. Field elevation is 62 feet. As a major international airport colocated with a military airbase, it sits within controlled airspace with area control, approach and tower services provided, as reflected in the range of frequencies published for the field.
Kuching has a single physical runway, 07/25, a hard-surfaced strip 12,386 feet in length. Both thresholds are lit, and runway 25 is equipped with an ILS approach, making the airport usable in a variety of weather conditions for both large commercial jets and general aviation traffic.
Pilots can expect the following services and frequencies at Kuching: Area Control (ACC) on 134.5 MHz, Radar Approach (APP) on 120.2 MHz with an Approach Director function, ATIS on 128.4 MHz, Ground on 121.9 MHz and Tower on 118.1 MHz. An ILS is available for runway 25, supporting instrument approaches into the field.
An airstrip was first built at 7th Mile, Bukit Stabar, in 1938, measuring 700 by 300 yards. A proper airport terminal opened on 26 September 1950, with a single 1,372-metre runway, a small L-shaped terminal, a cargo facility and a fire station, together with early navigational and radio aids. Malayan Airways began weekly Douglas Dakota services from Singapore, and by the end of 1954 the airport was handling over 1,500 aircraft movements and more than 13,000 passengers a year. The runway was extended to 1,555 metres in 1959 to accommodate Vickers Viscount turboprops, and again to 1,921 metres in 1962 for de Havilland Comet 4 jet operations, with the terminal enlarged the same year; a Control Zone was also established at Kuching that November. Following a 1971 Canadian-led master plan study accepted by the government in December 1972, the runway was strengthened and extended to 2,454 metres between 1973 and 1976 to handle Boeing 707 operations, with pavement strength further upgraded in 1980-1982 for Airbus A300B4 services. A new terminal complex was built on the north side of the runway, with construction beginning at the end of 1978 and the building opening for business on 24 August 1983. The airport remains colocated with RMAF Kuching, home to No. 7 Squadron of the Royal Malaysian Air Force.
Kuching International Airport today functions as the main hub for the regional airline AirBorneo and as one of AirAsia's operating bases, alongside services from Malaysia Airlines and other carriers. It continues to share its site with the RMAF Kuching air base and No. 7 Squadron. A new passenger terminal opened in 2006, and the airport has grown to become the fourth busiest in Malaysia by traffic.