Planning and Construction

The construction of Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, initially named Subang International Airport, commenced in 1961 and was completed in 1965 at a cost of approximately RM52 million (then equivalent to $64 million). Built on 535 hectares of land, the airport was part of a larger government initiative to establish a modern international gateway for Malaysia. The decision was made in 1960, recognising the need for a new, larger airport to replace the aging Sungai Besi Airport.

The airport was designed by architects Kington Loo and C.H.R. Bailey of the Booty Edwards Architectural practice. It has a floating concrete shell roof and a circular ramp, inspired by the penguin pavilion at London Zoo by Berthold Lubetkin, provided a distinctive visual focal point, contributing to the airport's architectural identity.

On 30 August 1965, the airport officially opened its doors, becoming Malaysia's primary international gateway. The inauguration ceremony was attended by more than 1,500 guests and was officiated by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail. The first commercial flight to land at the airport, a Malaysian Airways Silver Kris (De Havilland Comet) from Singapore, arrived at 8:15 a.m. on the following Wednesday.

The airport's runway, measuring (3,500 m (11,482 ft 11 in) long, 45 m (147 ft 8 in) wide – runway 15 – 33), was the longest in Southeast Asia at the time, making it capable of handling large, long-haul aircraft. With this infrastructure, Subang International Airport replaced the Sungai Besi Airport (also known as Sempang Airport), which had served as the main airport for Kuala Lumpur before its closure.

Growth and Expansion

After its inauguration in 1965, Subang International Airport quickly became Malaysia's primary aviation hub, handling both international and domestic flights. During the 1970s and 1980s, the airport underwent several expansions to meet the growing demand for air travel in the country.

One of the most significant renovations began in 1980, with the goal of modernising and expanding the airport. This expansion resulted in the removal of several original design features, including the distinctive circular ramp and sections of the floating roof. These changes were implemented to accommodate the growing number of passengers and meet increasing operational demands.

The renovation progressed slowly at first, causing frustration for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. To expedite the process, he instructed that Terminal 2 be extended to handle all airport operations, allowing Terminal 1 to undergo complete renovations.

The upgraded Terminal 1, unveiled on June 1, 1983, was celebrated for its "ultra-modern" features, which were considered groundbreaking at the time. These included a baggage trolley conveyor, nose-in aircraft parking apron, 12 aerobridges, duty-free shops and walkalators. The introduction of aerobridges marked a major improvement, eliminating the need for passengers to board aircraft via stairs, though it also ended the tradition of waving off passengers from the viewing gallery. This gallery was eventually closed off for security reasons, with passengers now being seen off behind double-glazed glass.

On 1 December 1989, Terminal 2 took over all domestic flights. It continued to handle domestic services until 16 December 1993, when Terminal 3 assumed responsibility.

According to Google Earth, the runway was extended to its current length of 3,780m between 1989 and 1990.

By 1993, Subang Airport had three terminals:

Terminal 1: Dedicated to international flights.

Terminal 2: Used primarily for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore shuttle flights operated by Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines.

Terminal 3: Focused on domestic flights, improving the efficiency of both domestic and international operations.

The airport’s growth continued through the 1990s, with Subang handling a record 15.8 million passengers by the end of 1997, the year before its operations were transferred to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). In recognition of the airport's significance, it was renamed Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in March 1996, after the then Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj, who also served as the 11th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Despite these advancements, the airport faced operational challenges as it continued to handle a rising volume of air traffic. In particular, Subang was affected by two major fires in the 1990s that disrupted its operations. The first fire occurred in April 1992, resulting in the deaths of three security guards from the Civil Aviation Department and causing significant damage to 29 duty-free shops. The loss was estimated between RM20 million and RM30 million. Investigations revealed that the fire was caused by faulty wiring carried out by unqualified contractors. Another fire broke out in the airport's control tower in October 1992, destroying critical radar systems, computers and other equipment worth over RM2 million.