Sepang - KL International Airport (KLIA) celebrates its 17th anniversary this year and the airport will continue to play a major role in the country’s development. Since its opening in 1998, KLIA has earned many regional and international accolades thus strengthening its position around the globe as a well-regarded airport.
In his speech during the anniversary celebration held at KLIA today, Y.Bhg. Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, Managing Director of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (Malaysia Airports) mentioned that the airport is now regarded as a national icon.
He added, “There were many contributing factors that have led to this but the key one has always been the emphasis on providing memorable airport experiences through the delivery of world-class service excellence. Part of what makes us so successful at this is the strong relationship and collaboration within the airport community. It is humbling to know how our partners - government agencies, retailers and concessionaires, airline partners, suppliers and vendors - have put in such tremendous effort in ensuring that KLIA is among the best in the industry."
With the opening of klia2, Malaysia Airports has ticked off among the last of several bold targets outlined in its Runway to Success five-year business plan (2010–2014). The next five years will see KLIA play a prominent role in achieving Malaysia Airports new vision – to be ‘The Global Leader in Creating Airport Cities’.
Malaysia Airports vision for the future is not only about making KLIA the region’s premier aviation hub; it is also about making KLIA a destination in its own right. Malaysia Airports envisages KLIA as not only an airport, but also as an international meeting place and a centre for business and entertainment. Central to this new vision is the KLIA Aeropolis, a master plan to develop the 6,750 acres of land surrounding KLIA into a self-sustaining and multi-functional airport city.
The recent opening of one of the KLIA Aeropolis’ key projects, the Mitsui Outlet Park heralds a bright and promising future for KLIA, which aims to transform KLIA into a retail hub.
The world’s largest terminal dedicated to low cost carriers, klia2 completes the KLIA system by providing seamless connectivity between full-service and low-cost carriers, has just celebrated its first year of operations on 2 May 2015 and is now established as a major hub for low-cost travel as well as the home base of AirAsia. The expansion of retail space in the terminal with the ‘Mall in an Airport; Airport in a Mall” concept is expected to have a favourable effect on KLIA Aeropolis commercial value.
For the first five months of 2015, KLIA registered a total of 20.1 million of passenger movements and continues to welcome new and returning airlines. Turkmenistan Airlines began a weekly service between Kuala Lumpur and Ashgabat in February 2015. British Airways, after a 14-year hiatus, has returned to KLIA in May, offering daily flights on a three class Boeing 7777-200ER to London. All Nippon Airways (ANA), meanwhile will start operations to Tokyo in September on its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
For 2014, KLIA recorded commendable growth of 3.0% in passenger movements and 4.3% in aircraft movements, especially when compared to a stellar 2013. This growth was attributed to several factors such as increased number of flight frequencies, commencement of new routes from the airlines partners and the success of our airline incentive programme. To further illustrate this growth, KLIA recorded a total of 48.9 million passengers in 2014.
Therefore, in commemorating its 17 years of achievement and showing its appreciation to passengers, KLIA feted five lucky passengers in a simple yet special reception. The lucky passengers were chosen based on these criteria:
- The 68 millionth Passenger at klia2 (Domestic)
- The 104 millionth Passenger at klia2 (International)
- The 90 millionth Passenger at KLIA (Domestic)
- The 231 millionth Passenger at KLIA (International)
- The 466 millionth Passenger at KLIA (Overall)