Kota Kinabalu Airport Guide: Borneo’s Gateway to Sabah
Kota Kinabalu Airport is Malaysia's second busiest by passengers. Our guide covers its long runway, terminals, Borneo routes, transport and spotting.
By The Aviation Hub
6 min read
Updated October 20, 2026 
Kota Kinabalu Airport is the main gateway to Sabah, the Malaysian state that covers the northern tip of Borneo. It sits on the coast just southwest of the state capital, with the South China Sea on one side and the Crocker Range behind. Nearly eight million passengers used it in 2024, making it Malaysia’s second busiest airport after Kuala Lumpur International. It is a lifeline for a state with slow roads and a growing draw for Korean and Chinese holidaymakers.
Kota Kinabalu Airport at a Glance
The IATA code is BKI and the ICAO code is WBKK. The airport lies about 5 miles (8 km) southwest of the city centre, at Kepayan. Elevation is just 10 feet (3 m). There is one runway and one passenger terminal, plus a second building at Tanjung Aru that now handles cargo, charters and private flights. Malaysia Airports Holdings operates the site.
Kota Kinabalu Airport handled 7,954,338 passengers in 2024, up more than 11 per cent on the previous year but still short of the 2019 peak of about 9.4 million. Aircraft movements reached roughly 63,000. AirAsia runs its second largest Malaysian hub here after KLIA2, while Malaysia Airlines and Firefly use it as a secondary hub. AirBorneo, the former MASwings, makes it a centre of its turboprop network. Timetables and parking details are on the airport’s official website.
A Short History of Jesselton Airfield
The airfield began as a military strip built by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War. Allied bombing left it badly damaged by 1945. The Department of Civil Aviation of North Borneo then rebuilt it for civil use as Jesselton Airfield, named after the colonial name of the town. Scheduled flights started in May 1949, when Malayan Airways began a weekly service from Singapore.
Growth came in stages. The runway measured 1,593 m in 1959 and 1,921 m by 1963, before later work took it to 2,988 m. Jesselton became Kota Kinabalu in 1968 and the airport followed. On 6 June 1976 a Sabah Air GAF Nomad crashed on approach near Sembulan, killing all 11 people aboard, including Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens. Sabah still remembers it as the Double Six tragedy.
The modern airport took shape between 2006 and 2009. A RM1.4 billion project approved in 2005 delivered the new Terminal 1, which opened in August 2008 with 12 aerobridges, and a new control tower. The runway was lengthened from 2,988 m to its present 3,780 m in 2009. The old building at Tanjung Aru reopened as Terminal 2 for low cost carriers in 2007, then closed to scheduled passengers on 1 December 2015 after AirAsia finally agreed to move.
Runways at Kota Kinabalu Airport
Kota Kinabalu Airport has a single asphalt runway, 02/20, measuring 3,780 m (12,402 ft) and 45 m wide. That is ample for a fully loaded wide body, and the terminal apron was designed to take four Boeing 747s at once. In practice wide bodies are occasional visitors, and the schedule is built around narrow bodies.
Daily traffic is dominated by Airbus A320 family jets and Boeing 737-800s, with ATR 72 turboprops on Borneo routes. With one runway, capacity depends on stands and taxiways as much as on the strip itself, and before the pandemic peak hours ran short of parking positions. A facelift funded in 2023 included runway resurfacing. Tropical downpours and afternoon thunderstorms are the main weather hazard.
Terminals and Airlines
Every scheduled passenger flight now uses Terminal 1. It has 64 check in counters, 36 immigration counters, 12 aerobridges and 22 stands, with a rated capacity of around nine million passengers a year. Domestic and international passengers share the landside hall and split after security. Terminal 2 at Tanjung Aru, on the opposite side of the runway, survives as a cargo, charter and general aviation building.
AirAsia is the largest operator, flying Airbus A320s and A321neos on domestic trunk routes and regional leisure links. Malaysia Airlines flies 737-800s to Kuala Lumpur, and Batik Air and Firefly compete on the capital route. AirBorneo connects Kota Kinabalu Airport with Labuan, Lahad Datu, Lawas, Limbang and Mulu. Foreign airlines include Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Busan, China Southern, Royal Brunei and Scoot. Cargo carriers such as MASkargo and Raya Airways use the old terminal side.
Routes and Destinations
Kuala Lumpur dominates the map. In July 2024 the trunk route carried about 168 flights a week, far ahead of anything else. Tawau followed with 57 weekly flights, then Sandakan with 35, Kuching with 29 and Lahad Datu with 28. Those Borneo links matter because a drive from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau takes most of a day.
Seoul Incheon is the leading international route with about 25 weekly flights, followed by Guangzhou at 21. Other links reach Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, the last of which is the longest regular sector at about 2,320 miles (3,730 km). Diving, island hopping and the climb up Mount Kinabalu keep East Asian demand strong around Lunar New Year and Korean holidays. Cargo totalled about 54,000 tonnes in 2024, ranking the airport third in Malaysia.
Getting to and from Kota Kinabalu Airport
There is no rail link, so every journey to Kota Kinabalu Airport is by road. Ride hailing through Grab is the default for most visitors, taking 15 to 25 minutes to the city centre for roughly RM20 to RM30 (£3.50 to £5.50). Coupon taxis from the arrivals hall cost a little more but carry fixed fares. An airport bus runs between Terminal 1 and Padang Merdeka in the city centre for a few ringgit, and is the cheapest sensible option.
Drivers reach Terminal 1 via Jalan Kepayan, Jalan Lintas and Jalan Putatan, while Terminal 2 sits off Jalan Mat Salleh. The terminal has about 1,400 car parking bays, and a multi storey car park is part of the expansion plan. Jalan Lintas can be slow at rush hour, so allow extra time for evening departures. The resort hotels at Tanjung Aru are only a few minutes from the terminal.
Spotting and Photography
Kota Kinabalu Airport rewards enthusiasts with its setting. The classic local spot is Jalan Johor, the road to Tanjung Aru beach, which runs beside the western perimeter fence and covers every runway movement. Light there is good from the afternoon until sunset, and a small step helps over the fence. In the morning, crash gates near the tower and at the end of a lane off Jalan Cempaka have the sun behind you, and the Crocker Range makes a dramatic backdrop on clear days.
The runway in use changes with the monsoon and the sea breeze, so check the wind before choosing a position. The variety is better than the traffic numbers suggest: AirBorneo ATRs, AirAsia A321neos, Korean low cost 737s and the occasional wide body or business jet. Keep well back from perimeter fences, avoid photographing security installations and never fly a drone near the airport. Malaysian police take airfield security seriously.
What Comes Next
Kota Kinabalu Airport is due a significant upgrade. In November 2024 the Transport Ministry approved RM442.3 million for expansion, but unresolved land use issues had stalled the start of work by July 2026, with completion still planned for 2028. The two phase plan raises Terminal 1 capacity to 12 million passengers a year, adds a new gate and extra aircraft bays, and allows 33 aircraft on the ground at once. A longer term ambition targets about 15.4 million passengers.
A 2022 proposal to move the airport to Kimanis, about 37 miles (60 km) away, drew heavy criticism and was ruled out by state and federal ministers in early 2024. That leaves the current site with room to grow on a long runway and a strong tourism story. The verdict is clear: BKI is heading back past its 2019 peak and towards double digit millions. Compare it with other Borneo airports on our Airports of the World map.
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