Sibu Airport (SBW) Information

Where is Sibu Airport? SBW Sibu Airport (IATA: SBW, ICAO: WBGS) is an airport located in Sibu, a town in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. In 2008, the airport handled 831,772 passengers on 14,672 flights and also handled 735 metric tonnes of cargo. In April 2009, the SBW Sibu Airport was given MYR 150 million for an upgrade of the terminal building. Its terminal will be larger than Miri Airport and Bintulu Airport.

The first airport in Sibu was built during World War II by the Japanese as a basic air strip. After the war, the airport was further developed to house basic airport amenities such as departure lounge and public waiting area. The airport was capable to support Fokker 50 and Twin Otter flights. On 15 August 1990, a Lockheed C-130H Hercules belonging to the Malaysian Royal Air Force skidded off the runway and the aircraft was written off. It was believed that those on board were part of the royal entourage visit to Sibu.

On 2 September 1992, a Fokker 50 aircraft landing gear failed, causing the aircraft to veered off the runway and into the bushes. The old airport has been demolised to make way for Laila Taib College (formerly known as UCS-United College of Sarawak) & Tun Zaidi Stadium. The runway of the old airport can still be seen and it is used as the main road for the stadium.

The official date of operation of the new airport began 1 June 1994. On 31 May 1994 the inaugural landing of 3 Fokker 50 and 1 Boeing 737 Malaysian Airline System aircraft occurred.