Let's Get Started! Plane Spotting and Aviation in Malaysia!

This Blog is all about aviation in Malaysia. Posts about plane spotting, aviation news and more will be available.So to start of, I would like to explain a little bit about what aviation is like here in Kuala Lumpur. There are two major airports, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA/WMKK/KUL) which has KLIA 2 under the same code and Subang International Airport which is now Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB/WMSA). KLIA is currently the main airport which houses Domestic and International Flights by local and foreign airlines such as Malaysia Airlines, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Cathay Pacific and many  more. KLIA 2 is the low cost carrier terminal and is the hub for Malindo, Air Asia, Air Asia X and others. SZB is for general aviation and turboprop aircraft use only, Firefly, Berjaya Air, Wings (Malindo) and Transmile Air Services are based there.

Security is tight here, for spotters, this makes it hard. Nobody can go close to the fence so a ladder would be pretty much useless. Security 4x4 cars round the airport perimeter and will question your presence if something seems even just a little fishy which is good for safety reasons. Out of the three runways, 32L/14R, 32R/14L and 15/33, only two are accessible for spotting. 32R/14L is elevated and is about 5-8 meters higher compared to the road. Runway flow is often changed and can vary from time to time. Wind also changes but oftenly, crosswinds happen. Two control towers, one for each airport,control the movements of aircraft. There are observation decks on both airports, KLIA has an indoor one and KLIA 2 has an outdoor one which is actually a Smoking Area. Thats it for now! My next post will be mainly about Plane Spotting.

Malaysia Airlines 737-800 taking off with KLIA Main Terminal in the background