Floodwaters forced the closure of Lawas Airport after the Lawas River burst its riverbanks last night.
LAWAS: Lawas Airport is closed due to flooding while six schools in Lawas District were reported to be flooded today following heavy rain after the Lawas River burst its banks.
The runway, which runs parallel to the Lawas River and parking apron area was inundated by over two feet of floodwater, forcing Malaysia Airports to issue a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) alert of its closure.
The state disaster management committee (JPBN) secretariat in a report at 7am said the NOTAM was issued to the airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) which was formerly known as the Department of Civil Aviation.
The closure period will depend on how long it takes for the water to recede and the amount of mud and debris left behind that needs to be cleared for the safe landing and take-off of Twin Otter aircrafts operated by rural air service operator MASWings.
MASWings mounts six flights every Friday to cater to the increased passenger load during the weekend.
Passengers today had to seek alternative transport to Limbang, Kota Kinabalu and Miri following the closure of the airport.
The earliest inbound flight to Lawas is from Miri at 7am, while the last outbound flight is at 5.55pm.
Meanwhile, the State Education Department reported that the affected schools flooded recorded between 0.3m to 1m deep floodwaters.
The affected schools are SK Ulu Merapok, SK Siang Siang and SK Trusan, SK Luagan and SJK Soon Hwa in Sundar sub-district.