Tawau International Airport
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Tawau Airport Lapangan Terbang Tawau |
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Malaysia | ||||||||||
| Operator | Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad | ||||||||||
| Serves | Tawau Division | ||||||||||
| Location | Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia | ||||||||||
| Time zone | MST (UTC+08:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 57 ft / 17 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 04°18′48″N 118°07′19″E / 4.31333°N 118.12194°ECoordinates: 04°18′48″N 118°07′19″E / 4.31333°N 118.12194°E | ||||||||||
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 WBKW
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2016) | |||||||||||
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Sources: official web site
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| Passenger | 1,271,915 ( 5.7%) |
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| Airfreight (tonnes) | 3,570 ( 8.7%) |
| Aircraft movements | 13,280 ( 5.2%) |
Tawau Airport (Malay: Lapangan Terbang Tawau) (IATA: TWU, ICAO: WBKW) is an airport located 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) north east of Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia. It is one of two airports in Sabah with immigration counters for international flights, the other being Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Tawau Airport serves the districts of Tawau and Semporna, and is the nearest airport to the diving islands of Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai, all of which are located in the latter district.
The old Tawau Airport was located on Jalan Utara (Malay for 'Northern Road'), about 2 mi (3.2 km) outside Tawau. It was officially opened in 1968 by the then Transport Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Haji Sardon. It could only cater to small aircraft such as the Fokker 27.
By the early 80s, the airport received its first Boeing 737 flight operated by Malaysia Airlines following the newly extended runway. The airport also witnessed regional international destination to Tarakan, Balikpapan and Makassar in Indonesia by Bouraq Indonesian Airlines and Merpati Nusantara Airlines during that period due to the geographical proximity and close socio-economic ties between Tawau and the main eastern Indonesian urban areas.
On 15 September 1995, Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133, a flight from Kota Kinabalu operated by a Fokker 50 aircraft, touched down 500 m (1,600 ft) before the end of the 2,200 m (7,218 ft)-long runway. While attempting a go-around, the aircraft crashed into a shantytown known as Kampung Seri Menanti. There were 34 fatalities, including two crewmembers. In October 2001, another Malaysia Airlines flight (this one operated by a Boeing 737-400) skidded off the runway without causing any injuries or fatalities.
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