Brunei International Airport
Brunei International Airport لاڤڠن تربڠ انتارابڠسا بروني Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Brunei | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||
Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Owner | Government of Brunei | ||||||||||
Operator | Department of Civil Aviation | ||||||||||
Serves | Brunei | ||||||||||
Location | Bandar Seri Begawan | ||||||||||
Hub for | Royal Brunei Airlines | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 22 m / 73 ft | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 4°56′39″N 114°55′42″E / 4.94417°N 114.92833°ECoordinates: 4°56′39″N 114°55′42″E / 4.94417°N 114.92833°E | ||||||||||
Website |
www | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
BWN Location in Brunei | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Brunei International Airport (Malay: Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Brunei; Jawi: لاڤڠن تربڠ انتارابڠسا بروني ) (IATA: BWN, ICAO: WBSB) is the primary airport in the nation of Brunei. It serves as the home base for Royal Brunei Airlines. The Royal Brunei Air Force is also based at the Rimba Air Base, which is located within the airport's area. The airport serves destinations across Asia and Oceania as well as flights to London Heathrow.
History
Commercial air transport in Brunei began in 1953, with the establishment of air service links connecting Bandar Seri Begawan with Anduki in the Belait District. Initial flights to Malaysia were made to accommodate travellers from Labuan, and Lutong in Sarawak. Airport services were operated from the Berakas area at an old runway site built by the Japanese during World War II. It was known then as the Brunei Airport.
The growth in popularity of air travel in the 1970s resulted in a significant increase in civil aviation. Suddenly, the old airport was swamped with activity, operating beyond its capacity. This situation prompted the government to scout for a new site to build a modern airport.
A new airport was constructed in Mukim Berakas in the Brunei-Muara District, because this location was easily accessible from all areas of the country. The airport became operational in 1974 and opened Brunei to the world.
In the 1980s, the airport's runway was one of the longest runways in the far east.
In 2008, it was announced that a study to review necessary expansions and modifications was completed, and a masterplan was written up soon after.[3] The master plan consists of different phases, and Phase 1, which includes upgrading the existing passenger terminal building and the cargo terminal, is targeted to be completed by end of 2014. Phase 1A was already completed on 1 Oct 2013 with the opening of the new arrival hall. The capacity of the airport will be increased to 3 million by end of 2014.
After Phase 1 is completed, Phase 2 could be initiated in 2020, which includes the construction of a new terminal, which will be able to accommodate up to 8 million passengers. Currently, the runway is being upgraded to allow bigger aircraft such as Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 to land easily.
Facilities
The airport consists of an international terminal which can handle up to two million passengers, a cargo terminal with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes of cargo, and a royal terminal where the sultan's flights are based. In 2005, Brunei International Airport handled 1.3 million passengers.[4]
Airlines and destinations
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
AirAsia | Kuala Lumpur–International |
Cebu Pacific | Manila |
Lucky Air | Kunming,[5] Nanning[5] |
Malaysia Airlines | Kuala Lumpur–International |
Royal Brunei Airlines | Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Denpasar, Dubai–International, Hangzhou,[6] Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jakarta–Soekarno–Hatta, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur–International, London–Heathrow, Manila, Melbourne, Nanning,[6] Shanghai–Pudong, Seoul–Incheon, Singapore, Surabaya, Taipei-Taoyuan (resumes 3 December 2018),[7] Tokyo-Narita (begins 15 March 2019),[8] Zhengzhou Seasonal: Jeddah Charter: Xi'an[9] |
Singapore Airlines | Singapore |
Statistics
Rank | Destination | Country | Frequency (Weekly) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Kuala Lumpur | 30 | |
2 | Singapore | 19 | |
3 | Kota Kinabalu | 14 | |
4 | Manila | 13 | |
5 | Bangkok | 13 | |
6 | Melbourne | 7 | |
7 | Dubai | 7 | |
8 | Hong Kong | 7 | |
9 | Surabaya | 6 | |
10 | Ho Chi Minh City | 6 | |
11 | Jakarta | 5 | |
11 | Denpasar | 5 | |
12 | Shanghai-Pudong | 3 | |
12 | Seoul-Incheon | 3 | |
13 | Kunming | 2 | |
13 | Nanning | 2 | |
Access
The airport is located approximately 10 minutes from the centre of the capital. There are regular taxi services to and from the airport. There are also regular public bus services which go around the capital.[10]
References
- ↑ Airport information for WBSB at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
- ↑ Airport information for BWN/WBSB at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
- ↑ Masterplan Study of Brunei International Airport Archived 13 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ BruDirect 18-10-2006 Archived 12 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
- 1 2 "Lucky Air expands Brunei flights from July 2017". routesonline. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
- 1 2 2018, UBM (UK) Ltd. "Royal Brunei adds new Chinese destinations from April 2018".
- ↑ https://www.flyroyalbrunei.com/en/brunei/deals/taipei-sun-rises-tradition/
- ↑ https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/280678/royal-brunei-adds-tokyo-service-from-march-2019/
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-18. | Brunei International Airport: Guide