Major towns and cities in Sarawak are very well connected. The state has modern and fully equipped port and airport facilities for international and domestic linking. The road network system connects all major towns within Sarawak.
Kuching is linked with other major cities in Malaysia, as well as Singapore, Hong Kong and Brunei by air. Airports are located in major towns and cities - Kuching, Miri, Sibu and Bintulu. The modern and state-of-the-art Kuching Airport is the crucial hub and entry point for Sarawak.
Malaysia Airlines (MAS), which operates daily flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching has direct links with the major cities in Europe, Australia, America and Asia. Air Asia also operates daily flights from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur. Kuching is also accessible to the rest of the world through connections from Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and Kota Kinabalu (Sabah).
Rural airstrips also serves the remote settlements. Regular scheduled air services using DHC6 Twin Otters-Flights to these airstrips are usually constrained by limited time available due to visibility problem. Helicopter services also communicate between various towns and more inaccessible areas in the Sarawak interior.
There are two categories of water transport systems in Sarawak:
International and coastal shipping
The main ports in Sarawak are in Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri. The latest addition, Senari Port, a new deep-water port at Kampung Senari complements the existing facilities at the Kuching Port Authority. All Sarawak's ports are well equipped to handle general and bulk cargo dry, liquid and gaseous. With the exception of Bintulu Port (a deep sea-port) which is a Federal Port, the other ports are managed as State Port Authorities. As the State relies heavily on external trade for its economic growth, the development of port facilities is important.
Riverine transport system
The riverine transport system has a great significance to a large section of the population living in the interior and along the coast. This system is an important means of transportation to passengers and goods to large proportions of the population of the State.
Sarawak has a total of 55 navigable rivers with a combined length of 3,300 km. Of all the rivers in Sarawak, the Rejang is the most important with a total length of 567 km; it is the longest river in Malaysia. Between 300-500 boats and vessels ply the river daily.
About 50% of the traffic is engaged in passenger transportation, and the rest are mainly for transportation of goods including logs.
Sarawak boasts an economical yet efficient express boat service which connects the various coastal towns. Express boat services also utilize the many waterways inland to get to more rural areas inaccessible by road.
The Trans-Borneo Highway connects Kuching to all major cities in Sarawak, and carries on through to the neighbouring state of Sabah through Brunei. Travelling from Kuching to Sibu takes about 5 hours by car while Kuching to Miri will take approximately 10 hours. The road system within the State is being constantly upgraded and public transport system improved to cater to increasing traffic volume.
Most major towns and cities offer a variety of public transport services including buses, taxis and limousine services. Bus services are also available for those wishing to travel within the state from town to town, or even internationally to Indonesia (Pontianak) and Brunei.
