Navigating the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2)

Earlier in May, I went on a business trip to Kuala Lumpur and happened to be among the first to grace the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2). The airport just began commercial operations on 2 May 2014, three days prior to my trip.

As such, there was no information online which was helpful for me to navigate KLIA2. It doesn’t help that the airport seems to be plagued with various operational issues since the opening. Just google “KLIA2 news” and you get what I mean:

Hopefully, this post would be helpful to international travelers who are flying into Malaysia via KLIA2.

KLIA2 is a low-cost carrier terminal at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia, approximately 45 kilometres (28 miles) from Kuala Lumpur city centre. The terminal is located some 2 kilometers away from KLIA’s Main Terminal Building (MTB), and it has its own runway and air traffic control tower. KLIA2 is built to cater for the explosive growth in low cost travel in the region and has replaced the former KLIA Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT).

Built at a cost of approximately RM4 billion (US$1.3 billion), KLIA2 is the world’s largest purpose-built terminal dedicated to low-cost carriers and it is designed to cater for 45 million passengers a year with future capacity expansion capability. No bullshit here. Although most of the shops and facilities were not open yet when I visited, what’s in-store looked impressive:

Among the first questions travelers ask when they arrive at any international airport is how to get to the city centre as well as the options available.

First, make your way to the adjoining Gateway@klia2 complex which took me approximately 5 minutes to walk from KILA2:

From Gateway@klia2, there were three travel options to get to Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC):

1. Via High Speed Train (KLIA Ekspres)
This is the fastest mode of transport to get to KLCC from the airport, taking just around 20 minutes. One-way ticket costs $35RM. KLIA2 is connected with the Express Rail Link (ERL) service (also known as KLIA Ekspres) and the ERL / KLIA Ekspres service offers seamless connectivity to the KL Sentral station in the city. However, I prefer to be taken directly to my hotel and opted for a taxi.

2. Via Taxi
This is available via a row of taxi counters. You can choose to go for either metered fare or fixed fare. I opted for fixed fare which was around $75RM one-way to my hotel in KLCC. If any touts approach you, just ignore them and hire your taxi from the taxi counters. Be sure to ask for a “budget (normal)” taxi if you do not want to pay extra for a limo service.

3. Via Bus
This is the cheapest mode of transportation. However, the buses were operating at 3 to 4 hours intervals when I was there and they require a transfer to KLIA first before heading to KLCC. Things might have improved since.

If you find this post useful in planning for your travel, do share this on your social platforms. 🙂