RMAF Kuala Lumpur was an air base in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

. It is also known as Sungai Besi Air Base, Simpang Airport, Old Airport.

History

It served as the main airport for Kuala Lumpur from 1952 to 1965 under the name Kuala Lumpur International Airport, until the main airport was moved to

Subang International Airport Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport ( ms, Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah), (formerly Subang International Airport/Kuala Lumpur International Airport), often called Subang Airport or Subang Skypark, is an airport located in Subang, Petalin ...

. It was the first airport to serve Kuala Lumpur and currently remains as the only airport to be located within the boundaries of

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

Federal Territory A federal territory is an administrative division under the direct and usually exclusive jurisdiction of a federation's national government. A federal territory is a part of a federation, but not a part of any federated state. The states constit ...

. Formerly known as

RAF Kuala Lumpur Royal Air Force Kuala Lumpur or more simply RAF Kuala Lumpur is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station in the Federation of Malaya and saw extensive use during the Malayan Emergency. It was built and opened by the RAF in 1931. Military The a ...

, it was used by the

Royal Malaysian Air Force The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF, ms, Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia; TUDM; Jawi: ) was formed on 2 June 1958 as the Royal Federation of Malaya Air Force (; ). However, its roots can be traced back to the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force format ...

( ms, Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia),

Royal Malaysian Police Air Wing Unit The Royal Malaysia Police Air Operation Force ( Malay: ''Pasukan Gerakan Udara PDRM (PGU)'') is a special unit of Royal Malaysia Police (RMP). They look after national security by surveillance and patrol from the air and help other national se ...

and the air unit of the

Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department ) , employees = 13,446 (February, 2013) , budget = , minister1_name = Nga Kor Ming , minister1_pfo = Minister of Local Government Development , minister2_name = , minister2_pfo = , deputyminister1_name = Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir , d ...

. The Royal Selangor Flying Club ( ms, Kelab Penerbangan Diraja Selangor) also flies from Simpang Airport. The four Cessna 172N Skyhawk aircraft belonging to the club are based at this airport. The airport was supposed to be demolished to make way for a housing estate, but that plan was cancelled and the airport is still used for air force flights. There had been non-fatal accidents before, involving single engine airplanes, at the surrounding roads and flyovers which are usually very busy during rush hours. The airport also housed the RMAF Museum, which was the only aviation museum in Malaysia but ceased operation for the construction of the

Bandar Malaysia North station The Bandar Malaysia Utara MRT station (''Working name: Bandar Malaysia North'') is a future provisional Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) underground station. The station is currently under construction that will serve the future suburb of Bandar Malaysia ...

. There was no entrance fee and there a total of 18 aircraft at the museum, including a

de Havilland Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...

and one of the few surviving

Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer The Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer was a British STOL transport aircraft built by Scottish Aviation Limited at Prestwick Airport, Scotland, during the 1950s. It was designed for both civil and military operators. It was conceived as a twin-eng ...

s. Some of the aircraft were accessible, like the

de Havilland Dove The de Havilland DH.104 Dove is a British short-haul airliner developed and manufactured by de Havilland. The design, which was a monoplane successor to the pre-war Dragon Rapide biplane, came about from the Brabazon Committee report whic ...

. The airport has ceased operation on 16 March 2018.RMAF bids farewell to Sungai Besi base
/ref> The air base will be relocated to Sendayan in

Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the s ...

References

Defunct airports in Malaysia Buildings and structures in Kuala Lumpur Military airbases established in 1952 Airports established in 1952 Airports disestablished in 1965 Airports disestablished in 2018 1952 establishments in Malaya Military installations of Malaysia {{Malaysia-airport-stub

History

See also

References