MALAYSIANS going overseas or taking short flights across the country will invariably notice how inconveniently far the airport is from the city.
The reason is obvious, that huge, flying metal planes produce too much noise for the comfort of those living below.
But in a viral post on X by netizen Azizul Farhan, it appears that the reason behind the location of KLIA was more than just that.
The comprehensive post, worthy of an article, drew many netizens who added numerous pertinent points in the comment section.
“Kenapa KLIA Dibina Di Sepang, Jauh Dari Kuala Lumpur?”
Pernah tak masa tengah rushing nak ke KLIA dalam hati terdetik, “Kenapalah lapangan terbang ni jauh sangat?”
Kalau dari KL, nak kena tempuh hampir 55 kilometer. Kalau dari Rawang, lagilah. pic.twitter.com/LKvXi6w9Vu
— Azizul Farhan (@AzizulFarhan2) December 2, 2024
Walking down memory lane, Azizul said that in the past, all international flights were centred at Subang, which was close to KL. At that time, Subang was indeed a strategic location.
Note that the information given is solely from the netizen and not from Focus Malaysia.
“However, by the 1980s and 1990s, Subang began to run out of breath. Why? Because the area had become congested,” Azizul said, claiming that expanding the runways or enlarging the airport became impossible.
The surrounding area was already full of developments like Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya. Additionally, there was the issue of noise disturbance.
This doesn’t even take into account safety concerns. Large planes flying over densely populated areas meant high risks in the event of an emergency.
“Sepang, back then, was palm oil plantation land. The land was vast, flat, and cheap. It was perfect for building a large airport without any interruptions. The government at the time was clever in selecting the location,” he said.
According to Azizul, this made the land acquisition cost much lower compared to other areas like Rawang or Lembah Beringin, which were also considered.
Another reason Sepang was chosen was because it was far from residential areas, so there was no issue of aircraft noise disturbing the public.
“But the most interesting part was that this location had great potential for long-term development. If you look at it now, KLIA has two main terminals, KLIA1 and KLIA2. There’s no problem adding more terminals or runways as there is still plenty of open land around,” he added.
Also, KLIA was built in Sepang because of its proximity to Putrajaya, the new administrative capital of the country. KLIA and Putrajaya were both part of the same plan.
The location just 20 kilometres from Putrajaya is strategic for connecting the administrative centre to the outside world.
It is undeniable that the distance from Kuala Lumpur to KLIA makes many people complain, especially those who are not used to long journeys.
“But imagine if an airport as large as KLIA was built in the middle of the city. It would be chaos,” he said.
Netizen Shannon Christopher echoed his statement, saying that too many people asked why KLIA was so far away.
“I told them if it is not because of KLIA, Kota Warisan, Serenia City, Cyberjaya and more would not have prospered. And in the Philippines, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at Manila is in the middle of the town. It is chaotic with no room for development, which made it one of the worst airports,” he said.
Fikri further pointed out the airport in Melaka which is surrounded by shop lots and that it was impossible to extend the runway.
On the other hand, Halby said the distance from the city centre to KLIA is not too far away if compared to Yogyakarta to the Yogyakarta International Airport.
Then here is an interesting question from Mr Z, asking why the name of KLIA when it is situated so far away from the city centre.
One netizen claimed that this is due to branding reasons associated with the good name that is Kuala Lumpur.
He added that some places still use the name Damansara although located a great distance away from the original Damansara, such as Sri Damansara and Kota Damansara. The rationale behind it is to ensure that the land value do not drop.
The impromptu history lesson coupled with the comparisons with other airports should give Malaysians some appreciation for what we have, far or not.
Regardless, we cannot deny the careful deliberation and rationale behind the choice of location for KLIA.
Is it far for not one, but many reasons, and those who disagree may need to take this article a second read. —Dec 3, 2024
Main image: redbus.my
