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. The Royal Brunei Air Force is also based at the Rimba Air Base which is located in the Brunei International Airport. It serves destinations across Asia and Oceania, with the only airport outside these continents being London Heathrow Airport.

History

Commercial air transport in Brunei began in 1953, with the establishment of air service links connecting Bandar Seri Begawan with Anduki in the Belait District. Initial flights to Malaysia were made to accommodate travellers from Labuan in Sabah and Lutong in Sarawak. 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 the Brunei Airport.

The growth in popularity of air travel in the '70s resulted in a significant increased in the civil aviation movement. Suddenly, the old airport was swamped with activity, operating beyond its capacity. This 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 it was easily accessible from all areas of the country. The airport became operational in 1974 and opened Brunei to the world.

Present

The airport consist of an international terminal which can handle up to 2 million passengers, a cargo terminal with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes of cargo and a royal terminal where the His Majesty Sultan's Flight is based at. In 2005, Brunei International Airport handled 1.3 million passengers.

Future

In 2008, it was announced that a study to review necessary expansions and modifications was completed, and a masterplan was written up soon after . 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 2013. At the moment, Phase 1A was already completed at the end of 2009.

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.

Airlines and destinations

Departure Hall

Gates 6, 7 and 8, with gate 8 being furthest from the viewer. These were built in the late 1990s.

Transport

The airport is located approximately 10 minutes from the central of the capital. There are regular taxi services to and from the airport. There are also regular public bus services which goes to around the capital.

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
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