Senai International Airport

Senai International Airport (IATA: JHB, ICAO: WMKJ), formerly known as Sultan Ismail International Airport,^[3] is an international airport serving Johor Bahru District, Malaysia's second most populous district and other regions in southern Peninsular Malaysia. Located in Kulai of the Malaysian state of Johor, it is approximately 22 km northwest of the Johor Bahru city centre. The airport is adjacent to Sedenak Tech Park, the largest data centre park in Malaysia.^[4]

Senai International Airport Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Senai
IATA: JHB ICAO: WMKJ
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	MMC Corporation Berhad
Operator	Senai Airport Terminal Services Sdn Bhd
Serves	Johor Bahru Iskandar Malaysia
Location	Senai, Kulai District, Johor, Malaysia
Opened	1974; 51 years ago (1974)
Operating base for	AirAsia
Time zone	MST (UTC+08:00)
Elevation AMSL	127 ft / 39 m
Coordinates	01°38′26″N 103°40′13″E
Website	www.senaiairport.com
Maps
Johor state in Malaysia
JHB/WMKJ Location in Senai, Kulai, Johor, West Malaysia Show map of Johor JHB/WMKJ JHB/WMKJ (Peninsular Malaysia) Show map of Peninsular Malaysia JHB/WMKJ JHB/WMKJ (Malaysia) Show map of Malaysia JHB/WMKJ JHB/WMKJ (Southeast Asia) Show map of Southeast Asia JHB/WMKJ JHB/WMKJ (Asia) Show map of Asia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 16/34 3,800 12,467 Asphalt
Statistics (2024)
Passengers 3,360,906 (11.7%) Domestic passengers 2,702,307 (21.8%) International passengers 658,599 (58.1%) Aircraft movements 58,758 ( 39.9%) Cargo (tonnes) 80,000 ( 30.7%)(2024)
Sources: AIP Malaysia[1][2]

History

Senai airport interior

Opened in 1974, the airport is managed and operated by Senai Airport Terminal Services Sdn Bhd (SATSSB) which took over the operations from Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) in 2003 under a 50-year concession to develop the airport.^{[citation needed]} SATSSB is currently wholly owned by MMC Corporation Berhad. Senai International Airport is currently the only privately managed public airport in Malaysia. SATSSB also operates Kerteh Airport for Petronas.^{[citation needed]}

Plans for expanding the airport was announced in 1978.^[5]

The federal government planned to upgrade the airport in 1990, costing RM 100 million.^[6] It was approved in April 1990.^[7]

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines' planned to reroute its international flights to the airport instead of Singapore Changi as it is cheaper.^[6] The plan was approved in August 1991.^[8]

In September 1990, Malaysia Airlines began adding direct flights from the airport to Kuala Terengganu attract tourists to Terengganu and Kelantan.^[9]

In April 1992, Malaysia Airlines began weekly flights from Senai to Hong Kong, marking "a new era" for the airport.^[10]

In 1993, Senai Airport was upgraded, costing RM 93 million. The upgrade works include expansions to the terminal and runway, and the construction of an aerobridge. The upgrade would enable the airport to carry more McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft than before,^[11] with traffic increased to 100 flights weekly.^[8]

Senai International Airport serves as the aviation gateway for Iskandar Malaysia and the southern region, and is dedicated to providing routes and services essential to cater the needs of both tourism and business travelers. Equipped with a 3,800-metre Category 4E runway, Senai International Airport can handle aircraft up to large jets such as the Airbus A350 XWB, the Boeing 777 and even the Antonov An-124 Ruslan freighter.^{[citation needed]}

In 2019, Senai International Airport handled a total of 4,254,922 passengers and 15,010 tons of freight with a combination of 52,030 scheduled and non-scheduled commercial aircraft movements. Currently the terminal is being expanded to handle 5 million passengers by 2023.^[12]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
AirAsia	Alor Setar, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Ipoh, Kota Bharu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur–International, Kuching, Langkawi, Miri, Penang, Sibu, Tawau
Batik Air Malaysia	Bangkok–Don Mueang,[13] Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta (begins 16 March 2025),[14][15] Kuala Lumpur–International Charter: Kunming[16]
Firefly	Kuala Lumpur–Subang, Penang
Indonesia AirAsia	Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Surabaya
Malaysia Airlines	Kuala Lumpur–International Charter: Medina[17]
Thai AirAsia	Bangkok–Don Mueang

Traffic and statistics

Annual passenger traffic at JHB airport. See Wikidata query.

Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics ^[18]

Year	Passengers handled	Passenger % change	Cargo (tonnes)	Cargo % change	Aircraft movements	Aircraft % change
2009	1,316,082		N/A		N/A
2010	1,235,400	6.1	6,239		11,934
2011	1,337,562	8.3	5,438	12.8	15,167	27.1
2012	1,376,383	3.0	3,149	42.1	12,506	17.4
2013	1,989,979	44.6	3,443	9.3	37,998	203.8
2014	2,325,816	16.9	4,934	43.3	42,976	13.1
2015	2,581,966	11.1	5,272	6.9	41,892	2.5
2016	2,828,074	12.1	6,245	18.0	42,744	2.0
2017	3,124,799	10.5	7,614	21.9	46,497	3.0
2018	3,522,519	12.7	9,691	27.0	52,030	12.0
2019	4,270,144	21.2	14,694	51.6	58,313	12.1
2020	1,096,517	74.3	10,120	31.1	21,481	63.2
2021	371,754	33.4	10,120	31.1	21,481	63.2
2022	2,144,036	476.7	10,120	31.1	21,481	63.2
2023	3,010,000	71.23	10,120	31.1	42,000	63.2
Source: Ministry of Transport[19]

Busiest domestic flights out of Senai International Airport by frequency as of September 2023

Rank	Destinations	Frequency (weekly)	Airlines
1	Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur	76	AK, MH, OD
2	Penang, Pulau Pinang	29	AK, FY
3	Subang, Selangor	26	FY, OD
4	Kuching, Sarawak	21	AK
5	Kota Kinabalu, Sabah	18	AK
6	Sibu, Sarawak	7	AK
7	Ipoh, Perak	7	AK
8	Langkawi, Kedah	4	AK
9	Alor Setar, Kedah	4	AK
10	Tawau, Sabah	4	AK
11	Kota Bharu, Kelantan	3	AK
12	Miri, Sarawak	3	AK

Busiest international flights out of Senai International Airport by frequency as of September 2023

Rank	Destinations	Frequency (weekly)	Airlines
1	Jakarta-Soekarno Hatta, Indonesia	18	QZ, 8B
2	Bangkok-Don Mueang, Thailand	18	FD, OD
3	Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam	7	AK
4	Guangzhou, China	7	AK
5	Surabaya, Indonesia	4	QZ
6	Kunming, China	2	OD
7	Medina, Saudi Arabian	1	MH

Ground transportation

Senai International Airport is connected to PLUS Highway, Senai–Desaru Expressway and Second Link Expressway, which are directly linked to Port of Tanjung Pelepas, the 15th busiest port in the world.^[20] The nearest train station is the Kulai railway station, connecting to the rest of Malaysia. Taxis are available outside the airport. Additionally, public and private buses are available to the Johor Bahru city centre with the option to transit to Singapore.^[21]

Causeway Link also provides the commuters a shuttle bus route to JB Sentral.

Bus no.	Destinations
AA1[22]	JB Sentral

Senai Business Aviation Terminal (SBAT)

SATSSB also operates SBAT, a private aviation terminal located just beside the airport's main terminal building and sharing the same infrastructure. True to its name, SBAT features business facilities including meeting and conference rooms, and dining and private rest facilities.

Senai Airport Free Industrial Zone (SAFIZ)

SAFIZ forms part of Senai International Airport's total land area and operates as a free industrial zone with factories and distribution hubs for many multinational corporations, including Mercedes-Benz, Pokka, Dyson, Celestica and BMW.

See also

• Johor Bahru District
• Kulai District
• Iskandar Malaysia Special Economic Zone