Airports of Sabah and distance from town center:
1- Kota Kinabalu International - 8.5km
2- Labuan Domestic Airport - 3.5km
3- Lahad Datu Domestic Airport - 1km
4- Sandakan Domestic Airport - 13km
5- Tawau Domestic Airport - 31km

Kota Kinabalu International Airport
KKIA TERMINAL 1
 

see also : Terminal 2 of Kota Kinabalu International Airport

Photo Gallery of KKIA TERMINAL 1

Stray dogs feeling comfortable in  Kota Kinabalu International Airport

KKIA1 2018-11-23 FRI 10:48

Second Floor of KKIA T1. T1 has 3 floor level
(Ground floor: Arrival Hall,
First Floor: Office and Airline company,
Second Floor: Check-in counter and departure hall)
 

C) Check-In Counters
Airport check-in uses service counters that can be found at commercial air ports handling commercial air travel. The check-in is normally handled by an air line itself or a handling agent working on behalf of an airline. Passengers usually hand over any baggage that they do not wish or are not allowed to carry on to the aircraft's cabin and receive a boarding pass before they can proceed to board their aircraft. The passengers usually prefer not to queue up too long to have their baggage and their respective boarding passes confirmed and checked. They would prefer to be served immediately upon reaching the check in counters. The airport authority should provide more check in counters and airlines staffs during peak hours to handle the passengers. The waiting area at check in counters for the passengers needs to be spacious in order to avoid any cramping and discomfort. A special counter should be provided for the passengers travelling with infants and elderly people. This will avoid further congestion at the counters
 

While the aircraft arrive at the airport, the passenger will exit at the level 2 of the terminal. The process of the immigration check will be segregated as well according to domestic category which is meant only for local Sabah populations. The domestic passenger from Semenanjung, Sarawak and Labuan is consider as International passenger which they would require to go through the immigration check with only using the national identity card instead of passport.
 

The existing layout of Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI) comprises a single runway, a parallel taxiway, two aircraft parking aprons, two passenger terminal buildings, as well as other facilities such as cargo and maintenance. Both of the terminals are separated away by the single runway and taxiway. The terminals however can be links by the federal access roads outside the airport compound. Currently, the Terminal 1 served majority of the premium and non-Air Asia flight and Terminal 2 is currently served majority of the Air Asia flights
In order to support the industry and to achieve higher revenue for the company, the airport shall have minimal airport terminal and runway design and specifications. The airport would always ensure the optimal level of service being provided to the airlines and passengers especially on the safety and security aspect and other facilities required by them as well as other airport stakeholders.
The airport is required to provide different type of services for different type of stakeholders. The services such as. Access Road. Parking facilities. Check-In Counter services. Self-Check-In services. Airline offices. Baggage/Luggage delivery to aircraft. Security services for Passenger and Luggage. Custom, immigration, and quarantine services. Aircraft parking bays. Aerobridges/Passenger Boarding Bridges.
Way finding/signage‟s
xii. People mover i.e. Walkalator/Travelator/Escalator/Buggy Services/Aero-Train/Bus, etc. Concourse Space to ensure passenger comfort level is satisfactory. Shopping Opportunities. Food and Beverages. WIFI services / Internet Kiosks. Effective airport terminal design and configurations. Effective Runway and taxiway. Support Facilities

Both of the KKIA Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 have some similarity. Both are operate with a single terminal and passengers access directly to the aircraft directly across the apron or boarding gate with only the most is the walkalator people mover system. It does not require any expensive people mover facilities like aero-train or buses to connect the passenger to the aircraft boarding gate

KKIA T1 Airport Type: Linear
KKIA T2 Airport Type: Open Apron


On the apron operations, it would have the great advantages as it provide clear orientation on the ground handling and aircraft movement. It will take a shorter time for construction with proper planning on the adequate kerb length, shorter close-out time. The baggage operations cost is lower because the short conveyor sorting system and decentralized system

These terminals have a great disadvantage on the connecting, transfer or transit between terminals due to the location is far apart and separated by the runway and taxiway. Therefore, the connecting will be taking a longer process than usual. The airport and airlines does not provide any sort of free transfer facilities for inter-transfer or hot-transfer passenger. Due to this, the limitation of airlines to have a connecting flight has resulted of losing business opportunities and revenue to the airport. The airport design has not created the flexibility for future expansion whereby the airlines reintroducing new and bigger aircraft into their business and the apron must be capable to operate. The terminal size also limits the passenger grow opportunities as current volumes of the passengers during the peak hours has reached the maximum supports numbers of passengers

Apart from the terminal design itself, the runway and taxiway systems also play an important role of an airport. The layout of the terminals and its surrounding support facilities which consists of the runway, taxiway and taxi lanes is shown on Figure 3below

The airport comprises of two terminals and has one operating runway as well as two parallel taxiway. The taxiway is suitable for aircraft Code E operations which it has 23mwidth and 10.50m wide shoulders on both sides

The runway also catered with Rapid Exit taxiway. This would minimize aircraft runway occupancy and thus increase the runway capacity.


KKIA has considered the public and customer requirement on access and vehicle parking space. It has 1,400 open parking spaces and 142 closed parking space. These two parking areas are specifically for airport staff and public for both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.

Currently, KKIA is a major destinations for the local and international airlines as shown in Figure 4.KKIA currently served different airlines from different continental from the North; it served China, Japan, Taiwan and Philippines. To the South, it served Indonesia and Australia.



For departure process, the airport authority will always take into account the smooth access to the airport. There are ample parking lots available for those who are driving to the airport. There are also drop-off zones for fast departure process whereby the sender can drop their passenger at the departure kerbside to allow fast movement straight to the check-in counter for departure processing. Passenger shall be provided with adequate and clear signage to direct passenger to the parking lot area or to the drop off zone.

On the other hand, for passengers who took other mode of public transportation shall have the access to the passenger drop-off zone on the same level as the check-in concourse area. This is to ensure that walking distances are kept to a minimum and smooth flow to the terminal check-in zone. In the check-in area there are both conventional and self-check-in machines. Passengers would be able to use the normal check-in counter to check-in or baggage drop-off. Currently there are three check-in islands which are sub-divided into three categories; Sabah, Sarawak, Semenanjung and International. The intention with this check-in hall, as with most well-designed contemporary ones, is to allow passengers to orientate themselves as easily as possible


Security check on the baggage will be screen prior proceeding to the check-in process. This is to ensure the airport safety policy and procedures and also the safety of other passengers and airline as well. The passenger will have to go through the full security check and screening before entering the immigration hall. Security screening evolves into a continuous flow process with designated lanes based on passenger profiles. The immigrations check process also has been segregated into three different category which is Sabah (Domestic), International Semenanjung, Sarawak and Labuan. The main reason for the segregations is based on the local state government requirement.

Once through security, the retail and concessions area are open and easy to navigate. Prior to the departure, the passenger can wander about the retail area while treat themselves a variety of culinary delicacies which is proximity to the departure gate. More restaurants, cafes, seating areas, shops and souvenir booths have been added to
both T1 and T2 terminal‟s public area, providing plenty of eating and leisure facilities for
waiting passengers and relatives. They would have the opportunity to glance an uninterrupted view of the apron and the aircraft as they walk to their departure lounge. Passenger departure level is segregated with arrival passenger for security reason. The departure level will be at level 3 and they need to be at level 2 boarding lounge or holding lounge before embark the aircraft and continue the journey to their desired destinations.


 

The terminal structure‟s design was inspired by the State‟s natural beauty. The gentle double wave roof form reflects the surrounding mountains and waves of theenchanting South China Sea. The Departure hall column head design reflectivelyinspired by the „Wakid‟ basket design. A „Wakid‟ was a symbolic native practice in
preparing for meaningful journey. Some ethnic pattern of the Rungus and Bajau werealso applied in the floor tiles pattern.
 

Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) Sabah was one of the MAHB operatedinternational airport after KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport), Sepang. KKIA is thesecond busiest airport in Malaysia in terms of passenger volume and becomes crucialairport by revenue to MAHB as well.
KKIA was located about 8km southwest of the city centre, Kota Kinabalu and it isthe main gateway to Sabah and the island of Borneo. Most of the travellers fly to KotaKinabalu for the purpose of leisure and business. The Sabah government has initiatedthe plan to boost the Sabah economy by introducing the eco-tourism industry by taking
the natural advantage to the region‟s beaches, rainforest, mountains, resorts and local culture. Besides tourism, the government also draws visitors for business conferencesand conventions, and this may grow with the complet
ion of the city's new convention centre and enhanced tourism infrastructure. In recent years, tourism traffic has come
from China and Northeast Asia, with over a third of Kota Kinabalu‟s international visitors coming from China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.


 

Terminal 1 Car Park.
1,400 car park and dedicated Car Park Facilities

Plenty of vacant parking lots. Also Plenty of illegal kerbside parking by the vehicles without driver inside

Too many of these kerbside parking that render the Airport Management staff helplessly do not know what to do.

Some car-owner passengers travelling would prefer to park their vehicles at the designated car parks provided at the airport terminal.
Airport is providing dedicated short-term parking lots for the public.
The car is only a short walking distance to the terminal.

Car Park
The kerbside 路邊 of T1 at departure and arrival at most of time is occupied by vehicles without driver inside the vehicles. This car has slow down the public vehicles that need to pick up and drop off passengers. At T2 traffic situation is worst due to having a single level kerbside and having almost thObservation during raining time the drain may be clogged as water pond is observed just after the road bump. According to Duty Officer of T2 there is 3 parking areas namely for staff, public and pay car parked which can accommodate about 800 parking while atT1 there is abundance of parking space in front the T1 terminal with approximately1400 car park
 

Aerobridge
While Terminal 2 has no aerobridge, Terminal 1 has a total of 12 aerobridges.
This Terminal 1 was upgrade with RM1.7 billion. Now KKIA T1 has the capacity to serve nine million passengers, a 350% increase compared with Terminal 2.
However the main Terminal 1 was under-utilised, having the capacity for nine million passengers, but having served 3.19 million out of 6.79 million passengers in 2014.
A total of 14 airlines currently operate out of KKIA Terminal 1 with 12 aerobridges to cater for both narrow and wide body aircraft, and equipped with 64 check-in counters for both domestic and international flights.
An Aerobridge (Jet bridge, air bridge, sky bridge) is an enclosed, movable connector which extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, allowing passengers to board and disembark without going outside.
 

CUSS Kiosk - Common-use self-service or CUSS
This is a shared kiosk offering airport check-in to passengers without the need for ground staff. The CUSS can be used by several participating airlines in a single terminal.

New technologies are rapidly changing the air travel industry and it is eagerly accepted by passengers across the world and self-service is also becoming a focal point in other areas of the passenger experience.
Common-use self-service or CUSS is a shared kiosk provided by the airport for passengers to check-in without going through the counter.
The CUSS can be used by several participating airlines in a single terminal. It allows for a quicker boarding process and faster aircraft turnaround times, which, intern helps to shorten queues and prevent delays.
It has resulted in cost savings through airlines staff reductions and better passenger flow.

The first major installation of CUSS for multiple airlines was launched in 2003 in a cooperative project between LAS McCarran Airport, ARINC and twelve participating airlines. By the end of 2008, CUSS had been implemented at more than 100 airports globally.
 

9M-MWH
MASwings
ATR 72-500 (72-212A)
9M-MWH (S/N 900)
ModeS 75006B
Type code AT75
First flight date 19/01/2010

 

Kota Kinabalu International Airport (Terminal 1) in June 2008 and December 2009

Old Building (replaced with New wing phase 2) as in June 2008
New wing phase 1 and New wing phase 2 as in December 2009
In 1970s and 1980s a new terminal building was built on the other side of the runway. Almost all commercial flights were shifted to this newer and larger terminal. From then on until recently, the original terminal became known as Airport Lama ("old airport"). In 1992 Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhadtook over management and operations of theairport
Further expansion project began in 2006 for both terminals, and in January 2007 the original terminal was renamed Terminal 2, and the new terminal became Terminal 1.Terminal 1 new wing (phase 1) was completed and opened for commercial use on August 19, 2008.
 

More about : History of Kota Kinabalu Airport
 

Jesselton Airport in 1959
(now Kota Kinabalu International Airport Terminal 2)
Photo Source : Sabah Government Archieve
Built by the Japanese during their occupation in World-War II as a military airfield.
After the war in 1945, the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) of North Borneo (now Sabah) took charge of the operations and maintenance of the airport.
It was ungraded to an airport with additional use for civil aviation and scheduled flights. Known as Jesselton Airfield (Kota Kinabalu was previously known as Jesselton).
It was initially a grass strip measuring 1,125 meters long which was suitable for Douglas DC-3s.
In 1957 when the runway was resurfaced with bitumen and a new terminal building was also constructed.

 

Photo above : Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) TERMINAL 1
 

Kota Kinabalu International Airport of Kota Kinabalu City is 8 km southwest of the city centre. It is the second busiest airport in Malaysia.

The airport is the main gateway into the state of Sabah and into Borneo island. The new terminal building (Terminal 1) opened in 2008 offers all the conveniences of a modern airport, including a variety of shopping and dining venues.

Terminal 2 was opened 1 year earlier in 2007.
Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) consists for two terminals: Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.

These two terminals are located on opposite ends of the runway with no built-in connection.

A road transfer of 20 minutes is required to reach the one terminal from the other.

Terminal 1 is Kota Kinabalu International Airport’s main terminal and is divided into 3 levels.

Level 1 for arrivals, Level 2 for mainly airline offices and within-Sabah departures, and Level 3 for International and Sarawak / West Malaysia departures.

 

Public Transport
Taxis and  Airport Bus (RM5 to town) is the choice of transport from Terminal 1 (both can be used for transfers between terminal1 and 2 as well);

AIRPORT BUS
Airport Bus to KKIA
Route: City Center (Padang Merdeka) - Sabah Kota Kinabalu International Airport
Operation Time: 0730 - 1900
Bus Interval: 1-1.5 hours
Ticket Price: MYR 5

More about Airport Bus of KKIA

TAXI
Standard rate from the airport to the town centre is RM30 per taxi (up to 4 people, more for the 7 seaters);
Buy a coupon from the kiosk on Level 1 (next to Arrival Hall 2 exit) before proceeding to the taxi rank outside.
Try your luck with the MyTeksi App for taxis when you’re out and about in Kota Kinabalu and Sabah;
If you want it even cheaper, walk out to the main road and catch a public minibus for around RM 1.50 to town;
However, you have to walk the roughly 500m from the terminal to the main road;
Cut straight trough the parking lot and follow the path to the main road (stay off the grass, it’s soggy);
Without crossing the road, flag any bus – they all go to town;
Lots of luggage might be a problem, but if you’re up for doing this I trust you’ll make it work;

Car Hire
Kota Kinabalu International Airport’s Terminal 1 has 4 car rental companies, all located on Level 1, renting cars as small as 660cc from RM90 per day, up to vans and minibuses.

Duty Free
Duty free shopping is available inside the terminal before clearing customs, but can only be utilised by passengers arriving on international flights (everyone, even west Malaysians, entering Sabah has to clear Immigration, so International equals “a country other than Malaysia”).
Malaysia’s Duty free allowances include 1 litre of spirits or wine and 200 cigarettes per person

Forex and ATMs
There are 3 sets of Forex and ATMs at KKIA’s Terminal 1;
On Level 1, the arrival hall, there are both a Maybank and a CIMB Bank currency exchange counters with ATMs;
On Level 3 there is another Maybank currency exchange with an ATM;
ATMs accept Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, American Express and JCB cards.
As you might expect, currency exchanges at the airport gives the worst rates, same as hotel lobbies.
Best rates are from non-bank currency exchanges in Centre Point, Wisma Merdeka and Suria Sabah.

Left Luggage Facilities
Located on Level 3 around the corner from the frozen seafood shop, in front of the entrance to the departure hall (currently the seafood shop provides services when the left-luggage is closed);
Open from 7:30am – 8:30pm;
RM5 per bag for 3 hours and then RM2 extra per luggage item for every 3 hours thereafter;
12 – 24 hours storage are RM15 per luggage item;
Oversized bags, golf sets and other sports equipment are RM30 per day per item;

Locker storage is available at RM5 for every 2 hours;
Baggage wrapping at RM8 per bag;
Baggage Strapping at RM6 per bag;
Or, leave your luggage at Rustic Borneo in the centre of town;

Internet Access
The airport has some sort of publicly accessible WiFi, but success of connecting varies;
There are plenty of other options though, McDonald’s on level 3, for instance, has free WiFi;
The Malaysia Airlines Executive Departure lounge, after clearing customs, has protected Wifi;
Starbucks, in the departure lounger after clearing customs, has Wifi;

Medical Facility
There is a clinic on Level 1 in the hallway under the escalator that leads up to McDonalds;
Airline Representative Offices
Level 2 is home to representative offices of the following airlines: Royal Brunei Airlines, DragonAir, Asiana Airlines, KoreanAir, MAS Wings and a Malaysia Airlines Ticketing office.
On the far-right of this level you will also find the security entrance for state-wide domestic flights, like those to Sandakan, Tawau, etc.

Restaurants
McDonalds & Asian Delights (Level 3);
KFC, Old Town White Coffee, Dunkin’ Donuts (Level 1)

Other Shops
Located on the publicly accessible side of the departure hall on Level 3: Sabah handicrafts shop, perfume/cosmetics/chocolate, Body Shop, Diamoney (jewellery store), a bookshop, frozen seafood & birdnest shop.
 

Taxi from KKIA Terminal 1 to the City center such as Suria Sabah is Rm 30.00
Buy the Taxi ticket at airport counter before approaching the Taxi.

 

WARNING
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT IT IS AN OFFENCE UNDER WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ENACTMENT, 1997 TO BRING INTO OR TO TAKE OUT OF STATE, ANY PROTECTED ANIMALS/PLANTS OR THEIR PRODUCTS WITHOUT PERMIT.

PENALTY FOR THE OFFENCES IS AN IMPRISONMENT FOR FIVE(5) YEARS OR A FINE OF FIFTY THOUSAND RINGGIT (RM50,000) OR BOTH.
1 - SWIFTLET BIRD'S NEST
2 - TURTLE EGGS
3 - WILDLIFE MEATS
4 - BUTTERFLIES
5 - ORCHIDS
 

KKIA fiasco : www.freemalaysiatoday.com/

Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) is located 8 km southwest of Kota Kinabalu City.
The second busiest airport in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur International Airport with 4 million passenger movements in 2006.
In 2007, 2.5 million unique tourists visited Sabah through KKIA.
The airport first began as Jesselton Airfield, a Japanese military airfield built during World-War II.
Towards the end of the war, the airfield suffered severe bombings by Allied Forces until the surrender of the Japanese army in 1945.

After the war, the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) of North Borneo took over the operations and maintenance of the airport.
In 1957 a new terminal was built and the runway been extended to 1,593 meters long to enable the operation of Malaysia Airways Viscount aircraft. In 1963, further expansion of the runway to 1,921 meters long to cater for Comet 4 operations. Commercial flights and passenger arrivals gradually increased and a larger terminal building was needed to accommodate this increase.

In 1969 a British consultancy firm was appointed to formulate a Master Plan for a phased and organized development of KKIA from 1970 until 2000 and years beyond. The master plan was submitted to the government with the following recommendations:

To reinforce and expand the runway distance to 2,987 meters long to cater for Boeing Jet 707 and 747 operations.
To build a new terminal complex and parallel taxiway which connects to the runway.
To provide navigation equipments, communication facilities and a modern light system for the runway.
In the 1980s, a newer and larger terminal building was built on the Western side of the runway for all commercial flights.
Since then KK has two airport terminal, the New Airport Terminal (West end now Terminal 1) and the Old Airport (the original terminal at the East end now Terminal 2)
In 1992, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad took over management and operations of the airport. Further expansion project began in 2006 for both terminals, and in January 2007 the first original terminal was named Terminal 2, and the other newer secondary but main terminal was known as Terminal 1.
In mid 2005, Malaysian federal government approved a major renovation and extension project of KKIA worth RM1.4 billion. The new airport terminal building will be able to accommodate four Boeing 747s, one Airbus A330, seven Boeing 737s, three Fokker 50s and three Dorniers at any one time. It will also have 12 jet ways for passenger use.

The airport also accommodate the Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger aircraft.
KKIA became the second largest airport in Malaysia with an annual capacity of 12 million passengers — 9 million from Terminal 1 and 3 million from Terminal 2.
AirAsia is expected to start flying to Guilin, Xiamen, Hong Kong and Vietnam in 2009. Sabah Government is optimistic in targeting more visitors from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia.
AirAsia plans to make Kota Kinabalu the main hub for flights from China to Malaysia due to Kota Kinabalu being the nearest Malaysian hub to China.
The RM1.4bil makeover of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport started operational on August 19, 2008

The new Terminal 1 is capable of handling up to 3,200 passengers per hour during peak periods as it has 64 check-in counters for international and domestic flights as well as 17 aircraft parking bays.

Ethnic patterns of the Rungus and Bajau communities have also been incorporated into the way the floor tiles were laid out.

The old terminal that had been used since the 1980s would be demolished and rebuilt by mid-2009. It will be integrated with the new building, doubling the floor space to more than 100,000 sq m and be used mainly for domestic arrivals and departures.

4.3 million passengers used the airport in 2007 making it one of the busiest after KL International Airport. In comparison, the number of passengers passing through the Kuching and Penang airports last year was about three million.

Air Port