By Karen Bong
FOR much of the past year, public attention has focused on Tanjung Embang as the future site of Sarawak’s proposed New Kuching International Airport (NKIA).
Yet the airport may ultimately prove to be only one part of a much larger transformation taking shape along the coastline northeast of Kuching.
On Aug 26, 2026, Sarawak Planning Authority formally approved the Tanjung Embang Special Area Plan, setting out a much broader vision: an integrated Aerotropolis centred on the NKIA and supported by a deep-sea port, strategic road links, logistics and industrial development, residential and commercial areas, utilities and environmental buffers.
Covering approximately 8,993.77 hectares, or 22,224 acres, the development represents an attempt to create an entirely new economic district along Sarawak’s western coast.
What is taking shape, therefore, is not simply an aviation project but an integrated airport-port-energy corridor designed to reposition western Sarawak as a regional hub for logistics, trade, industry and energy.
If realised according to plan, Tanjung Embang could become one of the most significant economic development initiatives in Sarawak’s modern history that would reshape investment, industrial activity and connectivity around Kuching, Samarahan and the wider southern region over the next 20 to 50 years.
At its centre are two major gateways — the new international airport and the deep sea port — linked to the Kuching Low-Carbon Hub (KLCH), gas and power infrastructure, industrial land, commercial development and new transport connections, forming a single economic ecosystem.
The approved Special Area Plan describes Tanjung Embang as an “integrated Aerotropolis”, with the airport serving as its principal catalyst and the deep-sea port, logistics facilities, industrial development, urban uses, resilient infrastructure and a blue-green network supporting it.
For Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, the development is not merely about building infrastructure.
“Some have asked why we have to build mega projects like a gas terminal, deep-sea port and a new international airport. Let me tell you, they will trigger our economic development and investments,” he said during the Amanat Perdana ceremony on Jan 13, 2026.
The scale of that ambition is reflected in the figures.
State estimates indicate that the combined airport, deep-sea port, gas terminal and supporting developments could catalyse approximately RM100 billion in investments over the coming years, making Tanjung Embang one of the largest infrastructure-led economic transformation programmes ever undertaken by a Malaysian State government.
Abang Johari has repeatedly stressed that Sarawak is not planning around its current population size.
“When people ask me why build a big airport and a big port when our population is only 2.8 million, my answer is simple: God placed us in the middle of ASEAN. Our market is not 2.8 million people. Our market is ASEAN’s 700 million people,” he said at the 65 th Kuching Port Authority’s (KPA) 65th anniversary dinner on May 15, 2026.
That regional outlook explains why Sarawak is designing infrastructure not merely to meet present demand, but to position itself within future trade, energy and investment networks across Southeast Asia.
Why Tanjung Embang?
The choice of location was the product of aviation and technical considerations.
Tanjung Embang lies in Samarahan Division near Asajaya and Muara Tebas, northeast of Kuching.
An earlier proposal had considered Matang as possible site for the new airport. Studies, however, raised concerns over its proximity to Indonesian airspace in Kalimantan and the complications this could create for future flight paths.
Abang Johari said this would potentially require permission from another country and incur associated charges.
The aviation rationale has since been reinforced by the Sarawak Transport Ministry. Its head of Aviation Dayang Nurhayati Abang Ahmad said subsequent studies led to Tanjung Embang being selected so that arrival and departure procedures could remain within Malaysian sovereign airspace.
“Airspace is like a highway in the sky,” she said, explaining that Tanjung Embang allows the Sarawak to design a new, less constrained aviation corridor with greater room for future growth.
The location also offers another strategic advantage: space and direct access to the sea. This provides opportunity to plan aviation and maritime infrastructure together from the ground up.
Building an airport for the next half-century
NKIA is intended to become the centrepiece of western Sarawak’s future aviation network.
Abang Johari has said the airport will take inspiration from Doha’s Hamad International Airport, particularly in its use of technology, operational efficiency and modern facilities.
“We want Kuching to become a hub with the airport that is capable of handling 15 million arrivals a year,” he said, adding that Sarawak needs an international-standard airport equipped with state-of-the-art information technology.
The initial planned capacity is 15 million passengers a year, with the ability to scale up to 60 million as demand grows. It is also expected to support air cargo logistics and aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services rather than function purely as a passenger airport.
At Asia Pacific Aerospace Conference and Exhibition (APACE) 2026 on Jan 29, 2026, Dayang Nurhayati described the project as a “strategic reset” for Sarawak’s aviation future, pointing to limitations at the existing airport involving passenger handling, cargo, apron capacity and runway capacity.
The planned design includes scalable terminals, a dedicated cargo village, expanded apron and runway capacity, and modern logistics infrastructure.
The ambition is therefore not simply to build a larger terminal. It is to make aviation one of the engines of the wider economic corridor.
An Aerotropolis — An airport city
The newly approved Special Area Plan reveals the physical scale of that ambition.
Of the approximately 8,994 hectares covered by the plan, about 2,148 hectares or 23.88 per cent are allocated for the airport site.
Another 1,711 hectares are designated for industrial development, while about 1,535 hectares are earmarked for mixed development and 1,368 hectares for residential use.
Commercial development accounts for about 382 hectares, while more than 1,042 hectares, or 11.51 per cent, are designated as green areas or buffer zones.
That distribution is significant. It indicates that the government is not planning an airport surrounded by empty land. The intention is to create a functioning urban-economic district around it.
The plan includes commercial areas, housing, industrial zones, transport hubs and supporting infrastructure, effectively attempting to ensure that economic activity develops alongside the airport rather than years after it.
Implementation will be phased.
The Special Area Plan identifies 2027 to 2030 as the preliminary and enabling period, followed by airport construction and early development from 2030 to 2035. Expansion of the wider aerotropolis would continue beyond that period according to priorities, technical requirements and market readiness.
The deep-sea port: Connecting western Sarawak to global trade
If the airport becomes Tanjung Embang’s gateway to the skies, the deep-sea port is intended to perform the same role at sea.
For decades, western Sarawak’s maritime potential has been constrained by the shallow nature of the Sarawak River.
“Kuching got disadvantage because Sarawak River is shallow. Once it’s shallow, big ships cannot come in. If big ships cannot come in, it may jeopardise our trade, import and export,” Abang Johari has said at the Graduates Enhancement Training Sarawak – Work Readiness Programme (GETS-WRP) on Jan 22, 2025.
The planned Tanjung Embang Deep Sea Port is intended to overcome those constraints.
According to Premier, the proposed port would be located about 20 kilometres offshore in waters between 13 and 16 metres deep, enabling larger vessels and LNG carriers to berth, while accommodating future energy-related maritime traffic.
The port’s design is being modelled partly on Japan’s Port of Kobe, reflecting Sarawak’s ambition to develop a modern maritime logistics hub integrated with industrial and energy infrastructure.
The facility is being integrated with the airport, road network, logistics and economic activities, with a primary focus on oil and gas cargo and limited dry cargo. The plan also identifies port-support and maritime-services precincts.
Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development Datuk Majang Renggi has said the project is being developed in collaboration with Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (PETROS), with the first phase targeted to begin operations in 2032.
“The project would include both deep-sea port facilities and a gas terminal, positioning Tanjung Embang as one of Sarawak’s key strategic maritime developments,” he said at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) sitting on May 12, 2026.
Taken together, the airport and port would give the corridor something few development areas possess: international air and maritime gateways within the same integrated planning zone.
PETROS and a new energy hub
The port and airport are ultimately part of a broader industrial strategy centred on energy.
The Kuching Low-Carbon Hub (KLCH) is being developed as an extension of the Sarawak Gas Roadmap, which identifies Kuching, Bintulu, Samalaju and Miri as major gas hubs.
Over the past several years, Sarawak has increasingly sought to leverage its natural gas resources to attract downstream industries rather than relying solely on resource exports.
Tanjung Embang sits at the centre of that strategy.
The proposed gas terminal is expected to support industrial growth within the KLCH while complementing PETROS’ wider role in gas distribution and energy development.
Abang Johari has indicated that substantial power generation infrastructure will also be required to support future industrial activities.
To that end, he has instructed Sarawak Energy to develop two 500-megawatt gas turbines, providing a combined 1,000MW, or one gigawatt, of dedicated electricity supply for future industries in the area.
The planned power supply underscores the State’s expectation that energy-intensive industries will eventually locate within the corridor.
Abang Johari said the government would provide the basic infrastructure while private investors would drive much of the industrial development.
“Tanjung Embang is not developed by the government alone. The government will provide the infrastructure. The rest will be undertaken by the private sector,” he said at the Sarawak Energy Vendor Excellence Awards (SEVEA) 2026 on July 8, 2026.
That model is central to the economics of the project.
Government can build roads, establish planning zones and provide utilities, but a true economic corridor emerges only when companies invest, factories operate, logistics volumes grow and workers and businesses establish themselves around the infrastructure.
International confidence and green financing
The project has also attracted growing international attention, and the financing strategy is beginning to take shape as well.
In July this year, Abang Johari revealed that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will work with Sarawak on green financing arrangements for Tanjung Embang, reflecting increasing international confidence in the state’s low-carbon development strategy.
According to the Premier, the ADB joins institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Japanese financial institutions that have expressed confidence in Sarawak’s economic direction.
“They are confident in our direction to develop the energy sector and our future economy,” he said.
ADB’s involvement is significant because it potentially provides more than capital.
Green financing generally comes with requirements around environmental performance, project governance and measurable sustainability outcomes. For a development covering thousands of hectares and combining aviation, maritime infrastructure, energy and industry, that financing framework could influence how the corridor is designed and implemented.
Abang Johari has also indicated that future phases of the project will strengthen economic linkages with Japan and South Korea, countries that already play significant roles in Sarawak’s LNG, hydrogen and manufacturing sectors.
Connecting the corridor
No airport-port-industrial corridor can succeed if people and freight struggle to reach it.
That is where the Second Kuching–Samarahan Trunk Road and the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) system enter the picture.
The trunk road’s alignment from Batang Sejingkat Bridge to Batang Samarahan Bridge through Kampung Tanjung Bako forms part of a wider road programme connecting Kuching towards Betong.
Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Development Datuk Ir Aidel Lariwoo has described it as an important component in supporting the future airport and deep-sea port.
“We want to ensure that once the master plan for the deep-sea port and new airport is finalised, this road will support a dual transportation network capable of meeting future logistics and connectivity demands,” he said during a visit to the proposed Second Kuching-Samarahan Trunk Road Project (D3C) on June 11, 2025.
The Special Area Plan also gives priority to the road network during the 2027–2030 enabling phase, specifically to establish access to the airport, port and wider strategic development area.
Public transport will be equally important. Plans have been discussed to eventually connect Tanjung Embang with Kuching’s wider ART network to reduce dependence on private vehicles and providing an alternative to road travel.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the existing Kuching International Airport will eventually be repurposed as a domestic airport, while the new facility at Tanjung Embang becomes Sarawak’s primary international gateway.
“To link both facilities, an ART connection is planned between the current airport and the new airport, similar to the rail connection between KLIA Terminal 1 and KLIA Terminal 2,” he said at the Asajaya Ambal Festival 2026 on Jan 3, 2026, adding that the integrated transportation system will ensure seamless passenger movement between the two facilities.
The airport itself will occupy a vast area encompassing villages including Kampung Beliong, Kampung Beradek, Kampung Tiang Api and Kampung Sungai Tanju.
Land acquisition processes are already underway, with notices issued under Sections 47 and 48 of the Land Code and compensation arrangements being prepared for affected landowners.
Balancing growth and sustainability
As with any mega development, environmental concerns remain an important consideration.
However, Sarawak Forest Department director Datu Hamden Mohammad has sought to reassure the public that the development will not significantly affect the State’s forest cover, which has remained at approximately 62 per cent.
According to Hamden, the project area is located primarily along riverine and coastal zones where mangrove density is relatively limited compared to major mangrove ecosystems elsewhere in Sarawak.
“There’s not as many mangrove trees in that area, unlike areas such as Kuching, Lundu, with most of the mangroves in Sarawak located in the Rajang basin and some in Limbang,” he said at the department’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration on April 15, 2025.
Moreover, the Special Area Plan’s allocation of more than 1,042 hectares to green areas and buffer zones indicates that environmental space has been incorporated into the spatial plan.
The transformation will also affect communities already living within and around the development area.
The Plan has identified land acquisition, settlement and community planning as immediate priorities and establishes a designated resettlement area in Asajaya covering approximately 493.4 hectares, or 1,219 acres.
It states that the development should be accompanied by a planned approach to affected communities while seeking to limit unnecessary expansion into surrounding Asajaya settlements.
Excitement, optimism and concerns
Among members of the public interviewed about the development, a common pattern emerges: optimism about jobs and business opportunities, coupled with concerns over accessibility, traffic, environmental impact and disruption to existing communities.
Account and finance executive Carlos Gobil said he was excited by the scale of the development and believed it could create employment, expand businesses and stimulate trade.
“However, I am concerned about the environmental impact and the possibility of worsening traffic congestion, which is already a major issue in Kota Samarahan,” he highlighted.
Administrator Steward Panggai similarly viewed Tanjung Embang as an opportunity to narrow the development gap between rural and urban areas, while recognising that construction and future activity could bring congestion and noise.
Project executive Victor Chong saw potential for the relatively undeveloped area to eventually attract new townships, businesses and commercial centres. His main concern was transportation.
“With passenger volumes and development expected to increase, an efficient public transport connection between Kuching and the new airport would be essential.
“Overall, I believe it is a strategically suitable location. I have high hopes that it will become a new centre for business growth and economic activity in the future,” he added.
Associate engineer Javdensus Johari focused more directly on the social dimension. For people living in rural villagers, he said, the project represents a major change from a quieter way of life.
“People currently enjoy a quieter and simpler lifestyle in that area. Increased activity and development could significantly affect the way people live,” he opined.
Yet he also sees a possible longer-term benefit: improved access to the airport for people from area such as Betong, Sri Aman and Saratok.
Reporter Lonney Jinab likewise regarded employment creation as a significant advantage but questioned the airport’s distance and the ability of Samarahan’s road network to absorb additional traffic.
The interviews point to a striking consistency. People are not necessarily questioning the idea of development itself. Their questions are about how development will reach them through jobs, businesses, transport, road, better connectivity and what they may have to give up in return.
A new western growth pole
For decades, Bintulu and Samalaju have dominated the Sarawak’s industrial landscape through LNG exports, energy-intensive industries and heavy manufacturing.
Tanjung Embang represents an effort to establish a complementary growth corridor in western Sarawak, anchored around Greater Kuching, Samarahan and Serian.
Its success will depend on more than infrastructure alone. The ultimate test will be whether the corridor can attract industries, investors and talent capable of transforming the region into a competitive logistics, energy and industrial hub.
Yet the ambition behind the project is unmistakable.
Tanjung Embang is no longer simply about building a new airport or a new port. It is an attempt to create an entirely new economic corridor where transportation, logistics, energy, industrial development and international connectivity reinforce one another.
If successful, people may look back on Tanjung Embang not as a collection of infrastructure projects, but as the development that shifted Sarawak’s economic centre of gravity westward and positioned the State as a strategic gateway between Borneo, ASEAN and the wider Asia-Pacific region. — DayakDaily
