Sultan Mahmud Airport, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia

Sultan Mahmud Airport is actually Kuala Terengganu Airport. Its name is taken from the name of the former Sultan of Terengganu. The airport is located at Telaga Batin, Kuala Terengganu, 18km from the city centre. The old terminal was demolished to make way for the new ones. The new airport was opened in 2008 with a longer runway and its new terminal building. The terminal has departure lane at the upper floor while the arrival lane at the ground floor.

The terminal seen from the runway.

This airport was designed like any other international airport. It has viewing gallery and also the communication tower. This airport is managed by Malaysia Airport Berhad. Though its operation is not fully international, however once a year, this airport handles international flights i.e. the direct flight from TGG to JED (Jeddah). The aeroplanes ferry thousands of pilgrims from the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia to perform their haj in Mecca. 

The departure lobby

The tower and typical roofs

Cascading water and the koi fish in the pond (at the departure lobby.

The airport building looks elegant with its special roofs. The roofs design are also unique. Perhaps its colour  remind me of the roof colour of Siem Reap International Airport in Cambodia.

At least three commercial airplanes companies that fly into Kuala Terengganu. One is MAS, Air Asia and Firefly. Firefly flies between Subang and Kuala Terengganu while MAS and Air Asia fly from Sepang. Firefly also flies to Singapore.

The schedule flight for MAS : TGG-KUL    10.00 in the morning; 4.00 in the evening and 9.00 at night. For the sector KUL-TGG: 8.30 am; 2.50pm and 7.45pm. Air Asia fly from LCCT in Sepang: KUL-TGG: 7.00am and 8.20pm; For details: click to respective airlines web (Airasia.com, Firely.com and Malaysiaairlines.com).

When you reach the airport from Kuala Lumpur or Singapore, you can take a taxi or rent a car to your destination. The taxi counter or booths are located at the arrival hall. You will notice Terengganu taxi has a  special colour design  and their drivers wear uniform. Happy travelling.

How to go to Kuala Terengganu from Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Terengganu is the state capital of Terengganu, Malaysia. It is located on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Being a state capital with 350,000 people, it is experiencing a positive physical growth. Kuala Terengganu is famous for its beautiful sandy beach like Batu Buruk beach, a stop-over city to Redang Island (off shore), largest museum at Bukit Losong, Monument park at Pulau Wan Man, beautiful waterfront, delicious traditional food, beautiful handicraft, traditional and modern boat making, reputable universities, peaceful rural homestay, good souvenirs, special delicacies and many more. 

You will be tempted to stay longer if you know and plan your itinerary. National Physical Plan of Malaysia had recognized Kuala Terengganu as a gateway to tourism in the east coast. You need at least 3 days and 2 nights in Kuala Terengganu in order to explore it.

When you reach Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), you may have three options to take in order to go to Kuala Terengganu.

You can charter a taxi from the KLIA airport to Kuala Terengganu.  You also can take a bus from Putra Bus Station, just opposite Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu Central Bus Station or you take a connecting flight from KLIA to Kuala Terengganu (via Malaysia Airlines System). 

There are two other airports which offer services to those wishing to go Kuala Terengganu. One, you can take the Air Asia plane at Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) Sepang (near KLIA) and two, you can take Fire Fly Airplane from Subang Airport (in Kuala Lumpur). All flights will take an hour to Kuala Terengganu. For taxis and bus, it will take at least 6-7 hours non stop.

As for the fare, the flight tickets from KLIA is more than the ones in LCCT or Subang. If you take the airport taxi, the fare is higher than the bus. The airport taxi costs around RM600.00 per trip while the bus single fare is about RM40.00. If you charter a taxi from the city centre, the fare is much lower. The express bus is the cheapest, but you have to go to the city centre (Putra Bus Station).

For those who travel by air, Kuala Terengganu Airport has taxi service. The fare to the city centre (20km) should be less than RM30.00. At the moment, there is no public bus service that ply between Kuala Terengganu Airport to the city. Happy travelling.