Labuan Airport in Malaysia Closed After Discovery of Suspected Bomb

Labuan Airport on Labuan Island, off the coast of Sabah in East Malaysia, has been closed by the relevant authorities following the discovery of an object suspected to be an old bomb, located approximately 150 metres from the runway. Malaysian media reports seen in Kuala Lumpur on Friday stated that flight operations at Labuan Airport were disrupted as a result of the discovery. According to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) uploaded via the Facebook page of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), the temporary runway closure was announced by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) at 5.00 pm Malaysian time. The airport closure is in effect until further notice. The Royal Malaysian Air Force and airport management are currently conducting a joint inspection of the runway area. The closure resulted in several flights from Labuan to Miri and Kota Kinabalu being cancelled, while a number of flights heading to and transiting through Labuan had to be diverted, delayed, or experienced operational changes. According to a report by national news agency BERNAMA, the bomb is suspected to be a relic from the Second World War era and was discovered at a slope repair project site in the area.