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Before KLIA became Malaysia's main gateway, Subang Airport (now Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport) was the place where holidays began and farewells were emotional
Opened in 1965, Subang Airport was Malaysia's main international gateway until 1998, when KLIA took over.
A recent collection of old postcards and memories shared by aviation enthusiast Stephen Riches is taking Malaysians down memory lane, back to a time when Subang Airport wasn't just a transit hub, but a full-blown experience.
One of the most vivid memories Stephen shared with SAYS was the enormous viewing terrace overlooking the apron.
"The enormous terrace overlooking the apron was an amazing place for kids to 'ooh and aah' when a plane landed or departed," he recalled.
It wasn't just aviation fans hanging around either. Families would gather, kids would press up against the railings, and everyone would stop what they were doing just to watch aircraft taxi in and out.
When a larger aircraft landed, the crowd would swell instantly.
He recalled the arrival of the Boeing 747 (operated by Qantas), describing how "half of Malaysia" seemed to show up just to witness the world's largest passenger aircraft at the time land in Subang
Even more unforgettable were the rare visits by the Concorde, including a 1974 test flight stopover.
The noise alone was something else. As he described it, "The sound of the jet engines was deafening and the smell of aviation fuel as aircraft turned to taxi to the runway was intoxicating for young kids like me."
Down on the main level, Subang Airport had its own kind of charm
You'd find uncles cycling in with bags of roti for sale, while an ice-cream vendor on a motorbike with a side cart would casually ride into the pick-up zone.
Kids would swarm him, only for him to be chased off by airport police, before circling the carpark and returning like clockwork.
Stephen described the scene as something straight out of a comic strip, saying, "He was just like one of those characters immortalised in a Lat cartoon."
Stephen recalled how swallows would nest in the terminal's eaves, turning the building into an unexpected home for migratory birds
At dusk, they would fly in and out of the terminal in sweeping patterns, catching insects mid-air.
Architects probably didn't plan for it, but it became part of the experience.
And despite the mess it may have caused for cleaners, most passengers didn't seem to mind.
He also reflected on how travel back then felt more adventurous
Flights from London often involved multiple stopovers in places like Rome, Beirut, Damascus, Bahrain, and Mumbai before finally reaching Kuala Lumpur.
"For a small airport, it oozed grandeur and elegance in its airiness — and the arched ceilings lent a very Modernist-feel to the overall tone of the building that greeted departing and arriving passengers," he added.
At its centre hung a magnificent world clock, acting as a visual landmark inside the terminal.
Even the flooring stood out — black-dotted rubber tiles inspired by Malaysia's rubber industry, a subtle nod to one of the country's key exports at the time, he revealed.
Now based in Bali, Stephen shared that his connection to Subang began as a child growing up in Malaysia. With patient parents and plenty of airport terrace time, he became an aviation enthusiast long before he even understood the term.
He also collected postcards and aviation memorabilia over the years, picked up from second-hand shops and online finds, each piece preserving a slice of Subang's golden era.
One particularly unique item in his collection is an old wax umbrella once handed to passengers crossing the apron during rain or intense sun
It was branded with Boeing 707 services to Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Taipei.
Even now, decades later, that feeling hasn't quite faded for those who experienced it
"Subang very much had a heart and soul," he said.
