KUCHING: The state 100 Years of Aviation in Malaysia celebration was the perfect day outing for many families in the city judging by the curious and awed expressions on their faces yesterday.
City folks thronged the Hornbill Skyways Hangar by 9am to catch a rare peek inside a variety of aircraft and helicopter exhibits at the event.
Also popular among visitors was the visit to Air Traffic Control Towers and Centre conducted by Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). The two-day event, which ends today (Dec 18), also features career talks by DCA, Hornbill Skyways, Malaysia Airport Sdn Bhd (MASB), Malaysia Airlines (MAS), MAS Wings and Advanced Air Traffic Systems (M) Sdn Bhd.
The line-up today (Dec 18) includes static aircraft display aviation industry exhibitions and a second opportunity to visit the Air Traffic Control Tower and Centre at 5pm. Visitors are required to obtain entrance passes at the DCA booth at Hornbil Skyways Hangar.
There will be open interviews by Advanced Air Traffic Systems (M) Sdn Bhd for recruitment of maintainence engineers at DCA Air Traffic Control Tower and Centre at 9am. The event yesterday was launched by Deputy Minister of Transport Jelaing Mersat.
In his speech, Jelaing informed that according to historical records the first aircraft sighting was in 1922 in Belaga.
“This was followed by a landing of a mail service amphibian aircraft in 1924 on the Sarawak River in front of the Main Bazaar. That spurred the growth of aviation in the state and the construction of Bintulu airport began in 1937,” he said, adding that the site of the current Kuching International Airport (KIA) was only an airfield in 1938.
“Construction of a tarmac airstrip only began 12 years after that and it was officially opened on Sept 26, 1950,” said Jelaing.
He added today, the ministry will continue to give full support to DCA to ensure safety and development of the aviation industry.He said that on the international front, Malaysia has been re-elected to the Council of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for the 2010 to 2013 term.
“This shows the trust other countries have towards Malaysia and it also shows that our contributions towards ICAO are acknowledged,” Jelaing said.