Melaka lies 148km south of Kuala Lumpur and is linked by the North-South Highway with gateway into Melaka via Ayer Keroh and Simpang Empat exit toll. To the many visitors, the existence of an airport in Melaka would be furthest from their mind as Melaka is approximately 2 hours drive from KL and Johor/Singapore.
For many years this airport had been lagging behind as flights from other states had been deemed non-feasible due to the close proximity via road. This was the main reason that the historic 1952 Batu Berendam Melaka airport (IATA: MKZ, ICAO: WMKM) was truly forgotten till 2006 when the Government announced that the airport will go through expansion works will turn it into a world-class airport. The airport is located 10km from the city centre.
The airport currently serves Riau Airlines which shuttles between Melaka and Pekan Baru which had transformed the state into a medical and healthcare hub for Indonesians particularly from Sumatera. Air Asia are now considering making this airport their base for low cost flights into Indonesia while Fire Fly would consider direct Penang-Melaka flights soon.
Malaysian Flying Academy had also been operating at the airport since 1987 and due to the length of the present runway, it is able to cater only small turbo-prop aircraft.
Once completed, the airport will have a runway which is 45m wide and 1,800m long. The terminal building will have a 7,000 square meter area and equipped with high technology aeronautical devices and landing aid for aircraft. Aerobridges would also be a feature of this new airport and the whole expansion project is expected to be completed by April 2009, perhaps in time for the Historical City Day.
With the new airport, there would be space for two Airbus A320 aircraft as well as parking bays for four aircraft, with a one-storey terminal to accommodate arrivals and departures of the passengers. This would serve as a catalyst to enhance the state into a world tourist destination.
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