 BINTULU - A Boeing 737 aircraft landed at the new Bintulu Airport for the first time yesterday morning. Flight MH2294 from Kuching with 100 passengers including a group of local and foreign travellers brought in by Wah Tung Travel Service Sdn Bhd landed safely at 9.25 am. Among those on the flight were Bintulu Member of Parliament, Dato Seri Tiong King Sing, businessman Tan Sri Datuk Paduka Ting Pek King and Ting's wife. Executive Director of Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHD), Dato Adnan Shamsuddin was on hand to welcome the passengers and present them with souvenirs and certificates. On hand to witness the landing of Flight MH2294 were MAS and Malaysia Airport Berhad officials. A cultural group, Sri Budaya Bintulu welcomed the passengers with dances. The aircraft left for Kuching at 10 am. The landing by the aircraft yesterday also marked the commencement of Malaysia Airlines' flight operations at the new Bintulu Airport, which was officially opened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad on 19 December last year. The new airport, 23 kilometres away from the Bintulu town centre, has the capacity to handle up to 400,000 passengers annually. Malaysia airlines Bintulu will provide the following weekly frequencies, namely, four non-stop and 9 one-stop Boeing 737-400 flights to Kuala Lumpur; 14 Boeing 737-400 flights and 35 Fokker 50 flights to Kuching; 28 Fokker 50 flights to Miri; 21 Fokker 50 flights each to Sibu and kota Kinabalu and two twin otter flights each to Belaga and Mukah. The new airport project started in November 2000 with a cost of RM385 million. Its modular concept enables future expansion. The old airport had no aerobridge but the new airport has two aerobridges with five aircraft stands, which provide flexibility for various aircraft at the new terminal. The apron is capable of accommodating one Airbus 330, one Boeing 737-400 and three Fokker 50s at any one time. With the opening of the new airport, passengers will, from now on, be able to fly directly from Bintulu to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) "The new airport will be able to handle an average of 12 Fokker flights and four Boeing 737 flights per day," said the Corporate Communications and ATS Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad's general manager Azman Murad. The new airport also will be able to handle 38 aircraft movements per day. The main terminal building of the new airport has 10,027 square metres of floor space, with one full service runway of 2,745 metres long and 60 metres wide. To ensure smooth flow of luggage, two baggage carrousels have been installed at the arrival hall. Public amenities such as toilets and surau are well located to serve the passengers. The terminal building is also passenger- friendly; it has ramps, a lift and escalators. Facilities for disabled including handicapped-friendly toilets are also available. Azman said sufficient concessions areas were provided to include retail shops as well as food and beverage outlets such as snack bars, handicraft shops, fashion houses and offices. Security systems, baggage handling systems and common-use check-in facilities have been installed, providing an efficient and responsive living terminal facility. 302 parking lots are also available at the new airport for the convenience of the public. The modern architecture reflects the state's ethnicity and aspirations and the airport is set to boost the tourism industry as well as economic development of Sarawak.
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