More airlines return to Malaysia's Subang Airport as rejuvenation plans take off

Subang Airport is abuzz again as more jet planes depart from there starting this month, as part of a 10-year plan to rejuvenate what was once Malaysia's premier airport finally takes off.

- Lu Wei Hoong

While the resumption of more airline services has been met with cheer from commuters and industry players who note the airport's value and proximity to Kuala Lumpur, public transport connectivity and noise pollution for those living in the area remain concerns.

The Subang Airport Regeneration Plan (SARP) is expected to cost RM3.7 billion (S$1.08 billion) through to completion in 2030.

The return of narrow-body aircraft operations to Subang Airport will be the first step in transforming the dilapidated airport in Selangor into a modern, green city airport terminal, a business aviation hub, as well as a hub for the aerospace industry for maintenance, repair and overhaul operations, Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke said at a media conference on July 30.

Opened in 1965, Subang Airport, also known as Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, was for a time the main aviation gateway into Malaysia until 1998, when the government shifted international airline operations to the then newly built Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

Four years later, all jet-operated domestic flights by national carrier Malaysia Airlines and its lowcost rival AirAsia were also moved to KLIA to grow air passenger traffic and increase ridership on the KLIA Ekspres, the fast rail link that connects the capital city to KLIA.