Brunei Airport | |
---|---|
Summary | |
Airport type | former airport |
Serves | Brunei Darussalam |
Location | Berakas, Brunei-Muara District |
Opened | 1953 |
Closed | 1974 |
Built | 1953 |
Coordinates | 4°55′21″N114°55′53″E / 4.9225734°N 114.9312739°E |
Map | |
Brunei-Muara District in Brunei Darussalam |
Old Airport (Malay : Lapangan Terbang Lama) is an area in Berakas, near the city of Bandar Seri Begawan, in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. It is the common name given to the former site of the original Brunei Airport (hence the name), and is now the location of several government offices.
The reason the location is known as the Old Airport is because it is the site of the former Brunei Airport, prior to the establishment of the present-day Brunei International Airport (BIA) which opened in 1974. The air traffic control tower and other parts of the former Brunei Airport Terminal Building are currently occupied by the Government Printing Department offices. [1]
During the Japanese occupation of British Borneo during World War II, the first runway was built in Brunei Darussalam. The Japanese fighter aircraft that were arriving to defend their captured territory then exploited this fledgling aerodrome. Even though the Allied Forces extensively attacked it, those same forces rebuilt and upgraded the runaway after the war, and a proper airport was designed and constructed, and named Brunei Airport. [1]
Only in 1953, when internal air service linkages were established between Pekan Brunei (Brunei Town) and Anduki (which serves the oil town of Seria) in the Belait District, did commercial aviation in Brunei start. In order to serve passengers from Labuan in Sabah and Lutong in Sarawak, the first international flights were operated to the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah. [1]
Around 4,300 people used the Brunei Airport in 1955, when Malayan Airways, [2] using British-built de Havilland Rapide aircraft, began operating flights between Brunei Town, Anduki, Miri, and Labuan. At that time, the only aircraft that Brunei Airport could handle were the de Havilland Rapide, the Douglas DC-3, [2] and eventually the Fokker F27 Friendship. All of these aircraft were turboprops with two engines. [1]
Shortly after the British took control of the airport during the Brunei revolt on 10 December 1962 , soldiers of the 1st Queen's Own Highlanders were unloading supplies from a Blackburn Beverley operated by No. 34 Squadron RAF. [3] This was followed by several other aircraft, which included Handley Page Hastings, [4] Auster AOP.9, and Westland Wessex. [5]
The popularity of air travel significantly increased throughout the 1970s. The former Brunei Airport was overbooked and overrun with traffic. Due to the necessity to accommodate the increasing number of users, the authorities set out to find a new location for the construction of a modern international airport. Construction on the brand-new Brunei International Airport, which serves Bruneians in Berakas, started in 1970, and was finished in 1974. [1]
The former terminal building of the Brunei Airport has become the office of the Government Printing Department. [6] Its vicinity is also the location of various government buildings which belong to two ministries and several government departments. These include:
The Brunei–Muara District or simply Brunei-Muara is one of the four districts of Brunei. It has the smallest area among the four districts, with 571 square kilometres (220 sq mi), yet is the most populous, with 289,630 people as of 2016. Bandar Seri Begawan, the country's capital, is located in this district, which is also de facto the district's capital. It is also home to Brunei International Airport, the country's only international airport, as well as Muara Port, the main and only deep-water port in the country. The Brunei River flows within this district and is home to Kampong Ayer, the traditional historic settlement on stilts above the river.
Brunei International Airport (BIA), , is the primary international airport and official airport of entry; one of two airports in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam, on the island of Borneo.
Tutong is a municipality town in Mukim Pekan Tutong Tutong District, Brunei. It is located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. It is the administrative centre of Tutong District.
Seria is a town in Belait District, Brunei, about 65 kilometres (40 mi) west from the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The total population was 3,625 in 2016. It was where oil was first struck in Brunei in 1929 and has since become a centre for the country's oil and gas industry. The town's bazaar, officially opened on 19 September 1954, has few retail establishments, fresh food markets, supermarkets, banking services, tourist information centers, and a range of restaurants, including Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Italian ones as well as outdoor dining in somewhat rustic settings. For processing documentation related to owning a car and hiring domestic helpers (amahs), government offices are located in Kuala Belait.
The prime minister of Brunei is the head of government of Brunei. Concurrently, the title is held by the sultan of Brunei, who as sultan is also the head of state of the country. As the prime minister, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan is the head of both the ministerial cabinet and the Legislative Council of Brunei.
Muara Town or simply Muara is a port town in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, about 28 kilometres (17 mi) from the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population of the town proper was 2,102 in 2016. It is home to Muara Port, the country's primary deep water port.
The Royal Brunei Police Force, RBPF (Malay: Polis Diraja Brunei is in charge of keeping law and order in Brunei. The RBPF has been one of the 190 members of INTERPOL, an intergovernmental organisation worldwide since 1984.
The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF); Malay: Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei, (ABDB), is the collective term for all of the military forces or service branches of the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. The RBAF consists of three primary military branches; the Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF), the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), and the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF).
Anduki Airfield is a domestic airfield which now primarily operates as a heliport, located in Seria, a town in the Belait District of Brunei Darussalam. Although Anduki Airfield is owned by the Government of Brunei, it is operated and managed by Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP), who currently fly Sikorsky S-92 and AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters in support of servicing offshore oil platforms. Brunei Shell Petroleum replaced the original grass airstrip with a sealed instrument runway in 2008. Future upgrades include the addition of runway lighting, and an enhanced instrument approach procedure. Operations at Anduki Airfield are carried out in accordance with regulations from the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards.
RPN Lambak Kanan, Kampong Perpindahan Lambak Kanan or simply Lambak Kanan is a public housing estate in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, on the outskirts of the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The total population was 19,833 in 2016. Established in 1986, it is the first estate for the National Housing Scheme, the public housing programme for the country's citizens.
The Language and Literature Bureau is the Bruneian language authority of the country's official language Malay. It is also the operator of public libraries in the country. It was established in 1960 and is now a government department under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
Kampong Pancha Delima is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, and a neighbourhood in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 1,562 in 2016. It is one of the villages within Mukim Berakas 'A'. The postcode is BB4513.
Kampong Sungai Akar or commonly known as Sungai Akar, is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, as well as a neighbourhood in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 5,467 in 2016.
Kampong Kumbang Pasang, or simply Kumbang Pasang, is a village within Mukim Kianggeh in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. It is also part of the municipal area of the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 563 in 2016. It has the postcode BA1511. The village formerly hosts a rubber plantation and was named Kumbang Pasang Estate. Notably the village was once its own Mukim, known as Mukim Kumbang Pasang.
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Brunei Darussalam is a ministry in the Government of Brunei Darussalam responsible for the policies and development of the country's national culture, youth, and sports. It was established immediately upon Brunei's independence on 1 January 1984. It is led by a minister, and the incumbent is Nazmi Mohamad who has held office since 7 June 2022. The ministry is headquartered in Bandar Seri Begawan, in the Brunei-Muara District of the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam.
The Ministry of Development is a cabinet-level ministry in the government of Brunei which is responsible for public works, land use, environment, public housing, and surveying in the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. It was established immediately upon Brunei's independence from the United Kingdom (UK) on 1 January 1984. It is currently led by a minister, and the incumbent is Muhammad Juanda Abd. Rashid who took office since 7 June 2022. The ministry is headquartered in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.
The Ministry of Defence Brunei Darussalam, officially abbreviated as MinDef, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Government of Brunei. It is responsible for the country's national security and military forces, the latter collectively known as the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF); Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei, (ABDB). It is Brunei's ministry of defence; and was established on 1 January 1984, when Brunei Darussalam achieved independence from the United Kingdom. The Ministry of Defence leadership presently consists of a minister ; its incumbent is the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, who is also the Supreme Commander of the RBAF / ABDB. A deputy minister is second-in-command at the MinDef.
The Fire and Rescue Department (FRD), Malay: Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat (JBP), Jawi: جابتن بومبا دان ڤڽلامت, also known as Brunei Fire and Rescue Department (BFRD), is a government agency of Brunei Darussalam, responsible for firefighting, animal rescue, and technical rescue. Bomba is a Malay word derived from the Portuguese bombeiros, which means 'firefighters'. The department's main headquarters are located at Bandar Seri Begawan, in the Brunei-Muara District of the Sultanate of Brunei.
Officially known as Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba,, commonly known as Rimba Air Force Base, occasionally known as Rimba Airbase, and informally abbreviated Rimba AFB; it is the military headquarters and main operating airbase of the Royal Brunei Air Force. It is located near the Bruneian village of Kampong Rimba, opposite, and sharing its main runway of 3,685 metres with the Brunei International Airport (BIA), at Bandar Seri Begawan, in the Brunei-Muara District of the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam.
The Secretariat Building or formerly known as the Brunei Government Offices and Government Secretariat Building is the oldest government structure that serves as "The Secretariat" or the seat of government. The building is located at Jalan Elizabeth II, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. The building is currently under the protection of the Antiquities and Treasure Trove Act of the Museums Department.
Media related to Brunei Airport (Old Airport) at Wikimedia Commons