Long Banga Airport (LBP)

Long Banga Airport (LBP), identified by its ICAO code WMBG, is a critical Short Take-Off and Landing port (STOLport) situated in the remote Ulu Baram region of Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The facility serves as a vital lifeline for the local Kenyah and Saban communities, providing an essential aerial alternative to the challenging 10-hour four-wheel-drive journey via logging roads to the regional center of Miri. As of August 2025, the airport's operational importance has been significantly bolstered with the introduction of daily flight services, a major upgrade from its previous limited weekly schedule. The passenger terminal at Long Banga is a basic, functional structure designed to manage low-volume rural transit and essential cargo handling. Inside, travelers can access a sheltered waiting area and manual check-in counters operated by regional staff. The facility lacks modern commercial amenities such as retail shops, restaurants, or digital flight information displays, making it necessary for passengers to be entirely self-sufficient. Due to the airport's remote location and its 1,148-foot unpaved runway, flight operations are strictly limited to the daylight hours and depend on the 19-seater DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, which are optimized for the region's short airstrips. Infrastructure at Long Banga is currently part of a historic transition in Sarawak's aviation landscape, as the state government prepares to take full control of MASwings operations by January 2026 under the new AirBorneo brand. While no major physical terminal expansions are slated for 2025, the facility remains a key node in the Federal Government's subsidized Rural Air Service (RAS) program to ensure affordable connectivity. Ground transportation within the village is informal, with pre-arranged local transport typically used to connect arriving travelers to nearby residential areas and longhouses. Travelers are advised to confirm flight availability in advance, as schedules in the Baram interior are highly susceptible to local weather conditions and mountainous visibility.