Ben van Wijnen

Tekah Airstrip (Taiping Airport) is Malaysia's oldest airstrip. It was built by the British in 1929 for non-military use. Together with Alor Star Airport which was built in the same year, it was one of the first airports in Malaysia.
The airport was not that important compared to other airports established after the first in Taiping (Singapore, Selangor and Penang). The airport was used for commercial flights, mainly by British officers and European merchants, it also served as the runway for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
From the airport they flew to Alor Setar, Penang and Kuala Lumpur. While the flight from Penang to Singapore made a stopover in Taiping. Malaysia's first airline, the Wearne Air Service Company, flew daily to Taiping to deliver newspapers for the city. After the end of the Japanese occupation, flights to other Malaysian states were canceled and the airport only operated flights to other airports within the state of Perak. Only Ipoh airport was allowed to operate flights to other states.
The airport also became known for the famous American aviator Amelia Earhart in 1937, when she made her world flight. Amelia Earhart flew between Thailand and Singapore and was cleared to land at Taiping Airport on June 7, 1937.
The airport was important in Malaysia's history when Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta, later the President and Vice President of Indonesia, landed at the airport on August 12, 1945 to meet with Dr. Burhanuddin al-Helmy and Ibrahim Yaakub to discuss the possibility to have Malaysia join Indonesia, when Indonesia would become independent. Malaysia would then become part of one big Indonesia with one and the same language: Bahasa. History shows that fortunately this did not happen.

 

Amelia Earhart

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The airport was important in Malaysia's history when Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta, later the President and Vice President of Indonesia, landed at the airport on August 12, 1945 to meet with Dr. Burhanuddin al-Helmy and Ibrahim Yaakub to discuss the possibility to Malaysia to join Indonesia, when Indonesia would become independent. Malaysia would then become part of one large Indonesia with one and the same language: Bahasa. The meeting was organized by Japanese army officers during World War II. History shows that, fortunately, merging did not happen.

The runway (1.3 km) at the airport is too short for the larger planes to land or take off. The airport in Assam Kumbang near Taiping has fallen into disrepair. Neglected, with only very minimal maintenance, the grass on the runway is still being cut. The fence around the airport is broken here and there. The airport no longer exists. However, the Airstrip is still there. This is occasionally used for skydiving. With a parachute you can then linked together (tandem skydiving) or not jump down.
Claims that the Taiping Aerodrome was sold to make way for housing projects are true. Part of the airport has been sold to a project developer. However, it is felt that Taiping Airport should be protected and restored at all costs for adaptive reuse with an emphasis on heritage tourism.