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.
