A large number of visitors to malaysia arrive by air. There are six international airpot in malaysia with the main gateway being the KL International airport (KLIA) at Sepang in the state of selangor. The rest of the country including Sabah, Serawak and the federal Territoy of labuan in East Malaysia is well serviced by 14 domestic airports and air strips for the rural areas.The fully computerised, state-of the-art KLIA which was opened in mid-1998 is one of the most modern airports in the world and has replaced the Sultan Abdul Azis Shah Airport in Subang as the premier international gateway into Malaysia. The KLIA is a four-runway airport facility capable of handling an initial 25 million passangers per annum with facilities for expansion to 45 million passangers per annum.
Incorporated into the airport's design are an automated people-mover shuttle system which links satellite building at which passangers disembark, to a contact pier where immigration and customs clearances take place, and finally to the airport terminal building. An efficient aerotrain seervice brings arriving passsangers from the satellite building to the cantact pier in two minutes. This fully automated baggage and passanger clearances system ensures reduced waiting time.
The airport terminal bulding has suitable rest, recreation, dining and duty-free shopping areas. Besides shops and restaurant, a recreational facility, the Hotel Airside Transit, offers a fitness centre with gym, steam and sauna. An international class hotel is located within walking distance from the terminal building. Car rental, bus, and coach, taxi, limousine and rail services into the city of Kuala Lumpur and neighbouring towns are available at KLIA.
KLIA is located about 50 km from the city of Kuala Lumpur and linked via ELITE Expressway which runs nort kuala lumpur. The jorney takes about one hour. There is also a highway that runs east to town of Nilai along the Nort-South Expressway. This expressway links the main towns on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
