Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Airport

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. 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. 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 The airport was reported to have limited facilities for custom clearances in October 1983. The facility was planned to be expanded "in the next two or three months". 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. The expanded airport opened on 1 July 1992 at a cost of RM 65 million. Proposed relocation Proposals 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 Adding to this, the airport infrastructure is outdated, lacking any jet bridges, and is small, insufficient for larger crowds. 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". 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. 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. An MoU was signed between Pahang Corp, Gading Group Sdn Bhd and Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) on 12 July 2022. Construction is expected to commence in 2024 and the airport is expected to begin operations in 2026. Airlines and destinations Statistics Passenger facilities The airport has an outdoor car park, a taxi stand, several small shops, an arrival hall and a departure hall. The front part of the building housing the shops and the check in counters are not air conditioned. Accidents and incidents 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. See also List of airports in Malaysia References External links Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport, Kuantan Archived 29 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport Real Time Flight Schedule "Current weather for WMKD". NOAA/NWS. Accident history for KUA at Aviation Safety Network