Brunei International Airport

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.

Brunei International Airport

لاڤڠن تربڠ انتارابڠسا بروني

Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Brunei
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGovernment of Brunei
OperatorDepartment of Civil Aviation
ServesBrunei
LocationBandar Seri Begawan
Hub forRoyal Brunei Airlines
Elevation AMSL22 m / 73 ft
Coordinates4°56′39″N 114°55′42″E
Websitewww.mincom.gov.bn/dca
Maps

Brunei-Muara district in Brunei
BWN/WBSB
Location in Brunei
BWN/WBSB
BWN/WBSB (Borneo)
BWN/WBSB
BWN/WBSB (Southeast Asia)
BWN/WBSB
BWN/WBSB (Asia)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
03/21 3,658 12,000 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

History

Commercial air transport in Brunei began in 1953, with the establishment of air service links connecting Brunei Town (present-day Bandar Seri Begawan) with Anduki in the Belait District. Initial flights linking Brunei to British Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore were provided by Borneo Airways and Malayan Airways. 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 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 its 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 was to 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
AirlinesDestinations
AirAsia Kuala Lumpur–International
Cebu Pacific Manila
Lucky Air[5] Kunming
Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur–International
RB Link[6] Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Sandakan,[7] Sibu,[6] Tawau
Royal Brunei Airlines Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Beijing–Daxing,[8] Changsha,[9][10] Dubai–International, Haikou,[11] Hangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur–International, London–Heathrow, Manila, Melbourne, Nanning, Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai–Pudong, Singapore, Surabaya, Taipei–Taoyuan,[12] Tokyo–Narita[13]
Seasonal: Jeddah
Singapore Airlines Singapore

Statistics
Busiest destinations from Brunei International Airport as of October 2019
RankDestinationCountryFrequency
(Weekly)
1 Kuala Lumpur  Malaysia 32
2 Singapore  Singapore 19
3 Kota Kinabalu  Malaysia 17
4 Manila  Philippines 11
5 Bangkok  Thailand 10
6 Melbourne  Australia 7
6 Hong Kong  Hong Kong 7
6 Surabaya  Indonesia 7
6 London Heathrow  United Kingdom 7
10 Jakarta  Indonesia 6
10 Kuching  Malaysia 6
10 Sandakan  Malaysia 6
13 Denpasar  Indonesia 5
14 Brisbane  Australia 4
14 Beijing-Daxing  China 4
14 Tokyo Narita  Japan 4
14 Seoul-Incheon  South Korea 4
14 Dubai  United Arab Emirates 4
14 Ho Chi Minh City  Vietnam 4
20 Shanghai-Pudong  China 3
21 Haikou  China 2
21 Nanning  China 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.[14]

References
  1. Airport information for WBSB at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
  2. Airport information for BWN/WBSB at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  3. "Home". CPG Corporation. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. "BruDirect 18-10-2006". Archived from the original on 12 November 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  5. "Lucky Air expands Brunei flights from July 2017". routesonline. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  6. "Intended destinations". flyroyalbrunei.com.
  7. "Royal Brunei expands RB Link regional network in W19". Routesonline. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  8. Liu, Jim (11 September 2019). "Royal Brunei adds schedules Beijing Daxing launch in late-Oct 2019". Routesonline. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  9. "Royal Brunei further defers Changsha service". businesstraveller. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  10. "Royal Brunei begins Changsha service from mid-April 2019". Routesonline. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  11. "Haikou Flight Notice". Flyroyalbrunei.com. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  12. "Royal Brunei resumes Taipei service". Routesonline.
  13. "Royal Brunei adds Tokyo service from March 2019". Routesonline. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) | Brunei International Airport: Guide

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