RMAF Kuala Lumpur Air Base
RMAF Kuala Lumpur Sungai Besi Air Base Simpang Airport TUDM Kuala Lumpur Pangkalan Udara Sungai Besi Lapangan Terbang Simpang | |||||||||||
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Sungai Besi Airport terminal on August 1, 1956 | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence (Malaysia) | ||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Malaysian Air Force | ||||||||||
| Location | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | ||||||||||
| Time zone | MST (UTC+08:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 111 ft / 34 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 03°06′41″N 101°42′10″E / 3.11139°N 101.70278°E | ||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||
Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory in Malaysia | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Sources: AIP Malaysia | |||||||||||
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| Simpang Air Base | |
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| Part of Royal Malaysian Air Force | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Air Force Base |
| Condition | Military Airport |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1930 |
| In use | 1930-2018 |
| Battles/wars | Malayan Emergency |
RMAF Kuala Lumpur (ICAO: WMKF), also known as the Sungai Besi Air Base and Simpang Airport was a key airport in the early years of Malaysia's aviation history. Established in the 1930s, it was the primary gateway for both domestic and international flights in Kuala Lumpur for several decades. The airport played a significant role in connecting Malaya to global destinations, with its facilities progressively upgraded to accommodate increasing air traffic.
In 1965, Sungai Besi Airport was replaced by Subang International Airport (now Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport) as Kuala Lumpur's main airport. It was subsequently repurposed as a military facility, renamed the RMAF Kuala Lumpur Air Base, and became a vital installation for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF). The base housed military operations, training facilities, and the RMAF Museum, which showcased Malaysia's aviation heritage. In 2018, the airport ceased all operations, making way for the Bandar Malaysia project, a large-scale mixed-use development set to transform the site into a modern urban hub.