Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport (IATA: KUA, ICAO: WMKD) is an airport that serves Kuantan, a city in the state of Pahang, Malaysia. The airport is located 15 km from the city. In 2009, the airport handled 226,912 passengers on 3,110 flights, though the airport is able to handle over one million passengers annually.[3] In 2008, Taiwan and Tourism Malaysia co-operated so that there were 23 charter flights directly from Taipei to Kuantan Airport; this made Kuantan Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport the first airport on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia that received international flights. Passengers have to walk from the aircraft to the arrival hall.
Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ahmad Shah | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public/military | ||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Malaysia | ||||||||||
| Operator | Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad | ||||||||||
| Serves | Kuantan | ||||||||||
| Location | Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia | ||||||||||
| Time zone | MST (UTC+08:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 55 ft / 17 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 03°46′11″N 103°12′34″E / 3.76972°N 103.20944°E | ||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||
 Pahang state in Malaysia | |||||||||||
  KUA /WMKD  KUA /WMKD KUA /WMKD (Malaysia)  KUA /WMKD KUA /WMKD (Southeast Asia)  KUA /WMKD KUA /WMKD (Asia) | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||
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| MAHB[1] AIP Malaysia[2] | |||||||||||
Co-located with the airport is RMAF Kuantan, housing 15 Squadron (BAE Hawk) and 17 Squadron (MiG-29) of the Royal Malaysian Air Force.
History
editThe airport was reported to have limited facilities for custom clearances in October 1983.[4] The facility was planned to be expanded "in the next two or three months".[5]
In January 1990, preliminary works for the expansion of the airport was made, with construction planned to start in mid-1990 and completed at the end of 1991. The project included upgrading and extension of the tarmac of the airport and construction of a new terminal building which cost RM 49 million and a road expansion project from the airport to the city centre which cost RM 100 million.[6] The expanded airport opened on 1 July 1992 at a cost of RM 65 million.[7]
Proposed relocation
editProposals for relocating the airport have been recorded since 2015, with early suggestions for it to be either located nearer to the coast at Penor, or possibly around the same area of its original location. The operational capacity of the current airport is severely limited, mainly due to the nature of the airport being co-located with the RMAF Kuantan (which poses risks to national security) and also constraints of being surrounded by residential areas, both of which make it difficult to increase the frequency of flights and its capacity for expansion. Adding to this, the airport infrastructure is outdated, lacking any jet bridges, and is small, insufficient for larger crowds.[citation needed]
Following this, there are also demands to establish a regional hub for international flights in the East Coast Peninsular Region, as stated in the "Rancangan Fizikal Negara ke-4".[citation needed]
The Menteri Besar of Pahang, Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail announced in July 2021 the development of a RM 10.5 billion aerospace city, integrating a new international airport with air cargo and MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) capabilities.[8] This project is to be headed by Pahang Corporation Sdn Bhd (Pahang Corp) on an area measuring 5,024 ha in Chendor, adjacent to the ECRL railway station at Cherating, which is expected to be completed by early 2027. The development of this airport is expected to coincide with the establishment of Kuantan Port as an international logistics and manufacturing hub. This will also allow the return of full control of the air force base to the RMAF.[citation needed]
An MoU was signed between Pahang Corp, Gading Group Sdn Bhd and Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) on 12 July 2022.[9] Construction is expected to commence in 2024 and the airport is expected to begin operations in 2026.[10]
Airlines and destinations
edit| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Malaysia Airlines | Kuala Lumpur–International[11] |
| Scoot | Singapore[12][13] |
Statistics
editYear |
Passengers handled |
Passenger % change |
Cargo (tonnes) |
Cargo % change |
Aircraft movements |
Aircraft % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 351,179 |  | 64 | | 4,054 | |
| 2004 | 349,375 |  0.5 | 64 | | 4,088 |  0.8 |
| 2005 | 298,184 | 14.6 | 75 | 17.2 | 3,757 | 8.1 |
| 2006 | 273,005 | 8.4 | 109 | 45.3 | 2,973 | 20.9 |
| 2007 | 262,486 | 3.8 | 103 | 5.5 | 3,487 | 17.3 |
| 2008 | 259,529 | 1.1 | 70 | 32.0 | 3,551 | 1.8 |
| 2009 | 226,912 | 12.6 | 70 | | 3,110 | 12.4 |
| 2010 | 220,878 | 2.7 | 49 | 30.0 | 2,802 | 9.9 |
| 2011 | 248,846 | 12.7 | 38 | 22.4 | 3,452 | 23.2 |
| 2012 | 280,074 | 12.5 | 57 | 50.5 | 3,613 | 4.7 |
| 2013 | 317,440 | 13.3 | 86 | 51.2 | 3,663 | 1.4 |
| 2014 | 314,130 | 1.0 | 46 | 46.9 | 3,911 | 6.8 |
| 2015 | 292,109 | 7.0 | 21 | 55.2 | 4,174 | 6.7 |
| 2016 | 247,757 | 15.2 | 15 | 27.3 | 3,493 | 16.3 |
| 2017 | 241,314 | 2.6 | 25 | 65.3 | 2,893 | 17.2 |
| 2018 | 258,816 | 7.3 | 13 | 47.4 | 3,013 | 4.1 |
| 2019 | 394,599 | 52.5 | 2.8 | 78.4 | 4,082 | 35.5 |
| 2020 | 71,877 | 84.3 | 3.0 | 7.9 | 1,117 | 72.6 |
| 2021 | 21,251 | 70.4 | 3.0 | | 439 | 60.7 |
| 2022 | 103,961 | 389.2 | 5.0 | 46.8 | 1,245 | 183.6 |
| 2023 | 176,100 | 69.4 | 28 | 475.4 | 1,827 | 46.7 |
| Source: Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad[1] | ||||||
| Rank | Destinations | Frequency (weekly) | Airlines | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 17 | MH | |
| 2 | Singapore | 3 | TR | |
Passenger facilities
editAccidents and incidents
edit- On 21 August 2025, a McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet of the Royal Malaysian Air Force crashed shortly after takeoff from the airport. The two pilots on board ejected safely.[14]
See also
edit
References
edit- 1 2 "A Breakthrough Year: Airport Statistics 2023" (PDF). mahb.listedcompany.com. Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
- ↑ "WMKD – KUANTAN AIRPORT" (PDF). Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2013.
- ↑ "Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport, Kuantan". Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017.
- ↑ "Direct flights to Kuantan to take off on Nov 15". Singapore Monitor. 22 October 1983.
- ↑ "Singapore-Kuantan flights will cut passenger loads". Singapore Monitor (Afternoon Edition). 28 October 1983.
- ↑ "Expansion of Kuantan airport by next year". The Straits Times. Bernama. 4 January 1990.
- ↑ "New Kuantan airport expected to open on July 1". The Straits Times. Bernama. 29 May 1992.
- ↑ "Pahang to develop Aerospace City in Gebeng - MB". MIDA | Malaysian Investment Development Authority. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ↑ "Kuantan's new international airport to open in 2026". The Star. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ↑ "New Airport In Kuantan, Malaysia, Expected To Break Ground In 2024". Aviation Week Network. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ↑ "Pahang holds talks with Malaysia Airlines on introducing new routes". New Straits Times. 29 February 2024.
- ↑ "Singapore, Singapore SIN". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 1214–1219. August 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
- ↑ "Scoot to resume services to Pekanbaru and Kuantan". CAPA. 13 October 2022.
- ↑ Ng, Eileen (22 August 2025). "Military jet crashes in a ball of fire at Pahang airbase, pilots ejected safely". The Straits Times. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
External links
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