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Kuching International Airport (KCH)

Departures from Kuching International Airport (KCH) at a glance

  • 67flights a day4th busiest of 30 airports
  • 11routes from here
  • 4airlines
  • 05:45 – 23:20first and last

Collected between 28 September 2026 and 11 October 2026. Not live — check with the airline before booking.

Kuching International Airport (KCH) is Sarawak's principal airport, sited about 11 km south of the city of Kuching. Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) operates it, and the site is also a military air base. A domestic flight from Peninsular Malaysia still ends at an immigration counter, because Sarawak controls its own immigration.

Where Kuching International Airport is, and who runs it

The airport sits about 11 km south of Kuching, the capital of Sarawak. The Ministry of Transport describes it as a gateway towards Brunei and Sabah, and Sarawak's other main airports are Sibu, Bintulu and Miri. MAHB operates the airport.

Size and passenger numbers at Kuching

The Ministry of Transport puts the terminal's capacity at 5.3 million passengers a year, with about 2,200 passengers an hour at peak, 36 check-in counters and 12 aircraft bays, and says the airport can take aircraft as large as the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747. Its origins go back to the 1940s. MAHB recorded 540,000 passengers at Kuching in December 2025 alone, up 10.3% on the same month a year earlier.

Sarawak runs its own immigration, and a domestic arrival still clears it

Sarawak administers immigration separately under Part VII of the Immigration Act 1959/63. Section 66 of that Act is a restriction on the right of entry of citizens into East Malaysia, and the Immigration Department states that a citizen is subject to holding a pass or permit to enter and be in the state. So a passenger flying in from Peninsular Malaysia passes an immigration counter at Kuching even though the flight is domestic.

For Malaysians from West Malaysia, the Immigration Department puts the stay granted at a Social or Business Visit Pass not exceeding three months. Its Document in Lieu of Internal Travel Document, for their travel to Sabah and Sarawak, carries that pass, covers a single journey, and can be obtained at the immigration counters in Sabah and Sarawak airport arrival halls. A stay exceeding three months uses a Restricted Travel Document instead, issued to citizens from Peninsular Malaysia for entry, exit and temporary stay in the two states.

Sarawak's state immigration director was reported in 2018 as saying that West Malaysians and Sabahans may enter on a MyKad and receive an IMM114 disembarkation card receipt covering a three-month social pass, with travel documents required of anyone working or studying in the state. Treat the counter mechanics in that report as indicative and check with the Immigration Department before you fly; its own rules for Malaysians from West Malaysia give the same three-month limit. The state's Premier's Department has also had an Immigration and Labour Management Unit since 1 October 2021, with the stated role of managing immigration and labour matters in Sarawak.

The Section 66 exemption endorsement is a Sabah instrument

The Section 66 exemption endorsement, which releases its holder from needing a pass or permit to live or work in Sabah, is a Sabah instrument: the Immigration Department states that it is issued only by the Sabah State Immigration Department. A holder of the endorsement should not assume it covers Sarawak, and Sabah's rules at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI) should not be read as Kuching's.

Arriving at Kuching from outside Malaysia

Travellers entering Malaysia complete the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) online within three days before arrival. Customs declarations for dutiable or prohibited goods apply, and MAHB states that inspection applies only at the first point of entry into Malaysia.

Inside the terminal building

MAHB's facility listings place arrivals, the taxi coupon counter and the car rental desks on Level 1, departure gates and the holding lounge on Level 2, and a public concourse and departure area on Level 3. Prayer rooms are listed on all three of those levels.

FacilityWhere MAHB lists it
Prayer roomsLevel 1 east and west wing; Level 2 Bay 4; Level 3 public concourse and departure area
Baby care roomsLevel 1 public concourse; Level 1 international and domestic arrivals; Level 2 departure gates
Charging stationsLevel 2 departure area; Level 2 holding lounge
LoungesTravel Club Lounge, domestic departure and arrival, airside; Travel Bar and Lounge, Level 2
Rest cabins (Rest N Go)Level 1 and Level 2
Baggage wrappingLevel 3
Bank counterLevel 1 (CIMB Bank)
Telco countersLevel 1 (Digi, Hotlink)
Car rental desksLevel 1 arrival hall
Taxi coupon counterLevel 1

Getting to and from Kuching International Airport

Airport taxis work through a coupon system, with charges fixed by destination and the coupon counter on Level 1 of the terminal building. Two classes are published, Normal and Executive. Car rental desks sit in the Level 1 arrival hall, from eleven companies listed by MAHB, among them Hertz and Thrifty alongside Sarawak operators such as Hornbill Tour and Kuching Holiday.

Parking is an open-air car park with 840 bays, where the hourly rate tapers the longer you stay and a daily maximum applies. No rail line serves the airport, and MAHB's public transport page for Kuching lists the coupon taxi alone, naming no bus service and no e-hailing scheme. For the 11 km into the city, the coupon taxi and the Level 1 hire-car desks are the options MAHB publishes.

Airlines and destinations at Kuching International Airport

The airlines recorded flying from Kuching are AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines, AirBorneo and Batik Air Malaysia. Direct domestic flights recorded from Kuching go to:

AirBorneo has run the rural air services since 1 January 2026

AirBorneo, Sarawak's state-owned carrier, assumed full legal and operational responsibility for all services previously operated by MASwings on 1 January 2026, covering flight operations, customer service and the management of passenger matters across Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan. That includes the rural air services linking remote and interior communities with the larger towns. A timetable or booking page that still names MASwings is out of date: AirBorneo has operated the former MASwings services since 1 January 2026.

AirBorneo's booking site opens with Kuching already set as the departure point. Across its wider network, it describes the Baram district settlements of Long Seridan, Long Akah and Long Lellang as reachable only by Twin Otter aircraft or by longboat, and lists Bario and Ba'kelalan among its Sarawak destinations. It also describes itself as evolving into a full-service carrier.

What is changing at Kuching International Airport

Sarawak has a proposal for a new airport at Tanjung Embang, and on 30 January 2026 the state's Ministry of Transport said studies were underway and expected to be completed as early as that year, with a site chosen near the coastline so that operations would sit fully within Malaysian airspace. The same statement says the existing airport is nearing its operational limits in passenger handling, cargo services, apron availability and runway capacity.

That statement does not name who would build or operate the new airport. On 18 May 2026 the state transport minister said the site verification and feasibility study was complete, with Tanjung Embang the recommended site, and that his ministry would submit a development request to the federal Ministry of Transport for approval. Later that month he was reported as saying the federal government had shown openness to exploring a decentralised model at meetings on 26 May, with the approach still under consideration.

The new airport remains a proposal, sized well above the current airport: it still awaits federal development approval, and no construction or opening date has been given.

Autogates for Kuching were announced in Parliament in March 2025, framed as conditional on a trial at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, with no completion date given.

What catches people out at Kuching International Airport

  • A domestic flight from Peninsular Malaysia still ends at an immigration counter, where Malaysian citizens from the peninsula are given a visit pass of up to three months.
  • For those citizens, staying longer than three months means a Restricted Travel Document, not the pass handed over at the counter.
  • No rail line serves the airport, and the only public transport MAHB lists for Kuching is the fixed-price coupon taxi.
  • The Section 66 exemption endorsement is written for Sabah: the Immigration Department says it covers living or working in Sabah and is issued only by the Sabah State Immigration Department, so do not assume it covers Sarawak.
  • The state's own transport ministry says the airport is nearing its operational limits, and the proposed new airport at Tanjung Embang, whose feasibility study was reported complete in May 2026, has no construction or opening date.

Kuching International Airport: common questions

Do I clear immigration on a domestic flight into Kuching International Airport?

Yes. Sarawak administers its own immigration under Part VII of the Immigration Act 1959/63, and Section 66 makes citizens subject to holding a pass or permit to enter and be in the state. Malaysian citizens arriving from Peninsular Malaysia pass a counter in the arrival hall and are admitted on a visit pass.

How long can Malaysians from Peninsular Malaysia stay in Sarawak after landing at Kuching International Airport?

For Malaysian citizens from Peninsular Malaysia, the Immigration Department gives the pass as a Social or Business Visit Pass not exceeding three months. A stay exceeding three months uses a Restricted Travel Document, issued to citizens from Peninsular Malaysia for entry, exit and temporary stay in Sabah and Sarawak. Entry rules change, so check the department's pages before you travel.

How do I get from Kuching International Airport into the city?

Airport taxis run on a coupon system, with charges fixed by destination and the coupon counter on Level 1. Car rental desks are in the Level 1 arrival hall, and there is an open-air car park with 840 bays. The city is about 11 km north of the airport.

Which airlines fly from Kuching International Airport?

AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines, AirBorneo and Batik Air Malaysia are recorded on direct domestic flights from Kuching, and each of them flies to Kuala Lumpur. AirBorneo is Sarawak's state-owned carrier and has operated the former MASwings services since 1 January 2026.

Is there a lounge at Kuching International Airport?

MAHB lists two: the Travel Club Lounge at domestic departures and arrivals, airside, and the Travel Bar and Lounge on Level 2. Rest N Go rest cabins are listed as well, on Levels 1 and 2.

Is Kuching International Airport being replaced?

Not as things stand. A new Sarawak airport at Tanjung Embang is a planning-stage proposal: its feasibility study was reported complete in May 2026, with a development request going to the federal Ministry of Transport and the operating model still under consideration, and no construction or opening date has been given. Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad operates the existing airport.

When is the driest time to fly to Sarawak?

The Sarawak Tourism Board puts the driest and most popular months at April to September, with festivals often falling in June and July.

Airlines flying from Kuching International Airport (KCH)

Routes from Kuching International Airport (KCH)

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