Tawau Airport

Tawau Airport is an airport located 15NM north east of Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia. It is one of two airports in Sabah with immigration counters for international flights, the other being Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Tawau Airport serves the districts of Tawau and Semporna, and is the nearest airport to the diving islands of Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai, all of which are located in the latter district.HistoryThe old Tawau Airport was located on Jalan Utara, about 2mi outside Tawau. It was officially opened in 1968 by the then Transport Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Haji Sardon. It could only cater to small aircraft such as the Fokker 27.By the early 80s, the airport received its first Boeing 737 flight operated by Malaysia Airlines following the newly extended runway. The airport also witnessed regional international destination to Tarakan, Balikpapan and Makassar in Indonesia by Bouraq Indonesian Airlines and Merpati Nusantara Airlines during that period due to the geographical proximity and close socio-economic ties between Tawau and the main eastern Indonesian urban areas.