Sultan Abdul Halim Airport

Sultan Abdul Halim Airport (IATA: AOR, ICAO: WMKA) is an airport in Kepala Batas, Kedah, Malaysia. It serves the city of Alor Setar and the state of Perlis. It is the second-largest airport in the northern Peninsula Malaysia, following Penang International Airport.

Sultan Abdul Halim Airport Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Halim
IATA: AOR ICAO: WMKA
Summary
Airport type	Public / Military
Owner	Khazanah Nasional Berhad
Operator	Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
Serves	Alor Setar
Location	Kepala Batas, Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia
Time zone	MST (UTC+08:00)
Elevation AMSL	15 ft / 5 m
Coordinates	06°11′40″N 100°24′03″E
Website	www.malaysiaairports.com.my/index.php/domestic/sultan-abdul-halim-airport
Map
WMKA Location in West Malaysia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 04/22 2,745 9,006 Asphalt
Statistics (2018)
Passenger 817,253 ( 1.9%) Airfreight (tonnes) 845 ( 72.7%) Aircraft movements 44,989 ( 2.8%)
Source: official web site[1] AIP Malaysia[2]

The airport, located in Kepala Batas, is approximately 15 km (9.3 mi)^[2] from Alor Setar. It has a capacity to handle up to 800,000 passengers per year. Opened in 1929, it is the second oldest airport in Malaysia, following Taiping Airport.

The airport's new terminal, which became operational on 5 May 2006, was designed to accommodate future growth in passenger traffic. The terminal can handle larger aircraft, such as the Airbus A330, following the extension of the runway from its original length of 1,963 m × 45 m (6,440 ft × 148 ft) to 2,745 m × 45 m (9,006 ft × 148 ft). In 2009, Sultan Abdul Halim Airport processed 421,314 passengers and recorded 24,031 aircraft movements.

The Royal Malaysian Air Force training division is also co-located and uses the same runway as the airport.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
AirAsia	Johor Bahru,[3][4][5] Kuala Lumpur–International
Batik Air Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur–International (resumes 5 December 2024)[6]
Firefly	Kuala Lumpur–Subang
Malaysia Airlines	Kuala Lumpur–International

Traffic and statistics

A Starbucks outlet located on the landside area of the terminal

Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics

Year	Passengers handled[a]	Passenger % Change	Cargo (tonnes)[b]	Cargo % Change	Aircraft movements	Aircraft % Change
2003	353,778		17		18,318
2004	346,502	2.0	67	294.1	14,784	19.3
2005	323,669	6.6	118	76.1	17,632	19.2
2006	292,549	9.6	111	5.9	18,495	4.9
2007	291,006	0.5	55	50.4	20,277	9.6
2008	307,564	5.7	41	25.4	17,705	12.7
2009	421,314	36.9	34	17.1	24,031	35.7
2010	400,997	4.8	34		22,187	7.7
2011	407,717	1.7	46	35.3	19,621	11.6
2012	433,644	6.4	123	167.4	18,006	8.2
2013	535,073	23.4	126	2.3	15,752	12.5
2014	660,264	23.4	230	82.4	17,365	10.2
2015	719,029	8.9	389	69.0	18,368	5.8
2016	787,706	9.6	390	0.3	18,190	1.0
2017	802,304	1.9	489	25.4	46,285	154.5
2018	817,253	1.9	845	72.7	44,989	2.8
2019	919,875	12.6	1,009	19.3	42,264	6.1
2020	275,824	70.0	280	72.2	33,367	21.1
Source: Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad[7]

Busiest flights out of Sultan Abdul Halim Airport by frequency

Rank	Destinations	Frequency (weekly)	Airlines	Note
1	Subang, Selangor	32	FY, OD
2	Kuala Lumpur	19	AK, MH
3	Johor Bahru, Johor	4	AK

Transportation

This airport nearby Anak Bukit railway station within 5 to 8 minutes by taxi. This station are connected to main city and town in Kedah and Perlis like Alor Setar, Gurun, Sungai Petani, Kangar, Arau and Padang Besar.

Notes

1. Number of passengers including domestic, international and transit
2. Cargo movement including domestic, international and transit

References

1. Sultan Abdul Halim Airport at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
2. WMKA - ALOR STAR/SULTAN ABDUL HALIM at Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia
3. "AirAsia to start JB-Alor Setar, JB-Ipoh flights from Oct 1". 18 July 2018.
4. "AirAsia adds new domestic routes from Johor Bahru from Oct 2018".
5. "AirAsia adds 437 extra flights for Hari Raya | New Straits Times". 3 April 2019.
6. "Batik Air Malaysia Adds Alor Setar From Dec 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
7. "Malaysia Airports: Airports Statistics 2020" (PDF). malaysiaairports. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.

External links

• Sultan Abdul Halim Airport, Alor Setar at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
• Current weather for WMKA at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for AOR at Aviation Safety Network

• Aviation portal