CONVERGENCE SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2016

Chronicles
Langkawi International Airport
Langkawi International Airport at present
Langkawi International Airport in 2004
The Langkawi International Airport (LIA)
is situated on the duty-free island of
Langkawi in Kedah. The airport is located
about 25-minutes' drive from Kuah Town.
As the island is famous for being a popular
tourist attraction, the airport is able to
accommodate up to 1.5 million
passengers annually with 1,000
passengers during peak hours while the
airport's runway is capable of handling
B747 aircrafts.
The Jewel of Kedah
The island, home to the airport, is an
archipelago of over 100 islands and it is
a tropical paradise. Surrounded by white
beaches, rainforests, waterfalls, bizarre
rock formations and jungles with a wide
variety of wildlife, it is not surprising that
the island draws in a huge flock of
tourists both local and international on
a daily basis.
To top it off, the island is duty-free and
known for tourists purchasing chocolates,
tobacco and alcohol.
So, whether you've
decided to visit the Kilim
Karst Geoforest Park,
wander along the rice
paddies, go parasailing
or island hopping, take
a stroll by the many
beaches or tuck into
some sinful seafood
delights, there's always
a nice breeze and
atmosphere awaiting.
Fly into the
Island!
With all the attractions
lined up, it comes as no
surprise that the
Langkawi International
Airport is the fifth largest
in terms of passenger
movements in 2015 recording 2.4
million passengers. The year also saw
a total of 176,920 international
passenger movements with 92 per cent
from Southeast Asia while the
remaining were from Northeast Asia.
Apart from receiving tourists, LIA plays
an integral role in serving as the
gateway to domestic and international
delegates who attend the biennial
Langkawi International Maritime &
Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition, which
takes place once every two years.
Airport Achievements
In 2012, Malaysia Airports remodelled
the airport into a worldclass
leisure airport, introducing new
concepts and brands to appeal to
the cross section of international
tourists who frequent the island resort
annually. Langkawi International
Airport was also earmarked as a
Leisure Airport Model in line with
Tourism Malaysia’s effort of
marketing the island as a
premier travel destination.
Also, for two consecutive
years in 2013 and 2014,
Malaysia Airports celebrated
LIA’s achievement of winning
the "Best Airport by Region
(Asia Pacific) for up to 2
Million Passengers per Year"
in the Airport Council
International (ACI) Airport Service Quality
(ASQ) Awards.
Recently, in March 2015, Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak launched
the brand new VIP Complex at the airport.
The new complex named Kompleks Lang
Merah is in accordance with a species of
eagle that has red plumage commonly
found on Langkawi Island.
This complex is part of the Langkawi
Tourism Blueprint (LTB) plan, which is being
spearheaded by Lembaga Pembangunan
Langkawi (LADA) and the Economic
Planning Unit (EPU). Among its focus is to
improve the gateways to Langkawi namely,
its airport terminal and jetty.
The complex, located next to the
terminal building will be used to handle
VIP movements at the airport. The 600
square metres complex was built at a
cost of RM4.8 million and took nine
months to complete. Among the services
available at this single storey complex
are Immigration, Customs, Malaysian
Quarantine and Inspection Services
(MAQIS) and Health.
Furthermore, the airport has a variety of
retail and duty-free outlets, cafés and
restaurants, as well as premium passenger
lounges for convenience and comfort.
The Langkawi International Airport
has a variety of retail stores and cafes
Prime Minister, Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak
(third from left) launching the brand new VIP Complex at
Langkawi International Airport (LIA) on 17 March 2015
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