Langkawi International Airport serves the duty free islands off Malaysia's northwest coast, in the state of Kedah. The airfield at Padang Matsirat began as a very small strip. It stayed small while Langkawi was a quiet fishing and farming island. Everything changed in 1987, when the Malaysian government made the islands duty free and began pushing them heavily as a resort for both local and foreign visitors.
A proper terminal and a longer runway followed as visitor numbers climbed steadily year after year. The airport gained worldwide fame in 1991, when it first hosted the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition, known as LIMA. This big air show has run every two years since, filling the airport with fighter jets, many stunt flying teams, and military visitors from around the world.
The runway and aprons, meaning the paved areas where aircraft park, were made even wider for big military planes and show planes. A new passenger terminal also opened in the 2000s. Langkawi soon became a leisure airport. Low cost airlines shuttle many tourists in from Kuala Lumpur, with regional links to Singapore. The Kuala Lumpur route became one of the busiest domestic routes in all of Malaysia.