The airport, located in Kepala Batas, is approximately 15 km (9.3 mi)[2] from Alor Setar. It has a capacity to handle up to 800,000 passengers per year. Opened in 1929, it is the second oldest airport in Malaysia, following Taiping Airport.
The airport's new terminal, which became operational on 5 May 2006, was designed to accommodate future growth in passenger traffic. The terminal can handle larger aircraft, such as the Airbus A330, following the extension of the runway from its original length of 1,963 m × 45 m (6,440 ft × 148 ft) to 2,745 m × 45 m (9,006 ft × 148 ft). In 2009, Sultan Abdul Halim Airport processed 421,314 passengers and recorded 24,031 aircraft movements.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force training division is also co-located and uses the same runway as the airport.