Batu Berendam Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Batu Berendam Airport
nativename = Lapangan Terbang Batu Berendam

---

IATA = MKZ
ICAO = WMKM
type = Public
owner =
operator = Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
city-served = Malacca, Malaysia
location =
elevation-f = 35
elevation-m = 11
coordinates = nowrap|coord|02|15|48|N|102|15|05|E|type:airport_region:MY
website =
metric-rwy = y
r1-number = 03/21
r1-length-f = 4,501
r1-length-m = 1,372
r1-surface = Asphalt
footnotes = Source: DAFIFWAD|WMKM|source=DAFIF] GCM|MKZ|source=DAFIF]

Batu Berendam Airport airport codes|MKZ|WMKM is an airport located in Batu Berendam, a town in the state of Malacca (Melaka) in Malaysia.

The airport occupies convert|141|acre|km2 of land, and has a runway only long enough for small aircraft. Firsy built in 1952, the airport had an earth breaking ceremony on April 1, 2006, and is currently undergoing an upgrade, due to be completed by 29 April 2009. The runway is being upgraded from 1372 x 37 meters, to 2045 x 45 meters, allowing Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft to land. The terminal complex is being replaced by a new 7,000 square-meter terminal equipped with international-standard amenities. The control tower is being replaced and complemented with advanced aeronautical devices. Both ends of the runway will be contain facilities to guide night landing and better assure safety in bad weather conditions.

The Airport and particularly its control tower bears historical significance as it was the very same tower which guided the plane of Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, to land from London on 20th February 1956. It was in Malacca that Tunku announced the date for the independence of then Malaya from the United Kingdom. Considering the historical nature of this control tower, the Chief Minister of Malacca, Mohd. Ali Rustam is attempting to save the tower, by either relocating it, or by changing plans to incorporate the tower.

Currently, the airport services Riau Airlines, which operates flights from Pekanbaru five times per week.Fact|date=April 2008 Malacca has become a popular destination for healthcare and medical-tourism from Indonesia, particularly Sumatera. This has greatly increased the passenger influx through the airport, with all three private hospitals in the city operating regular free shuttle-bus services to and from the airport.

The airport is also used as the base of the Malaysian Flying Academy (MFA), which has been operating out of the airport since 1987.

In September 2005, AirAsia announced that it will make Batu Berendam Airport a destination once renovation work has been completed. It is likely that AirAsia will use the airport as a hub to operate flights to Indonesia. It is unlikely that Malaysia Airlines or Airasia would introduce the Kuala Lumpur-Malacca sector because the latter is only 147.5 km away from the country's capital, less than 90 minutes of drive time. The Malacca state government is also in discussion with AirAsia for a proposal to fly to Nanjing,China from Malacca. Firefly also has plans to start a Penang-Malacca route once the expansion of the airport is completed. It will be known as Batu Berendam International Airport.

In 2008, AirAsia has confirmed that it would start operation by December 8 to four destinations in Sumatra and two domestics. They are Pekanbaru, Padang, Palembang and Medan while the domestics are Penang and Langkawi. It will also expand the runway length from 1,800 metres to 2,200 metres for safe and comfortable landing for an Airbus A320 and a Boeing 737. It has also planned to fly to Kota Kinabalu, Jakarta and Nanjing.

Airlines and destinations

*AirAsia (Langkawi, Medan, Padang, Palembang, Pekanbaru, Penang) [begins December 8]
*Firefly (Penang) "Planned"
*Riau Airlines (Pekanbaru)Fact|date=April 2008

Gallery

References

* http://thestaronline.com/news/story.asp?file=/2007/8/30/nation/18734666&sec=nation
* http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=162571

External links

* [http://www.malaysiaairports.com.my/index.php?ch=38&pg=157&ac=1026 Batu Berendam Airport, Malacca] at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
*NWS-current|WMKM
*ASN|MKZ
* [http://ezineer.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=39&post_id=137 EZineer] - A forum with regular updates on Expansion work progress