the large agriculture sector that has become the main income producer for the town. Like in Sandakan, people in Tawau have always relied on the sea for their sustenance. Every day, hundreds of deep sea trawlers and tuckboats can be seen at the Cowie Bay. Barter trade also happens in the sea area around Tawau. The Tawau marine zone are one of Sabah four marine zones, with the other been in Sandakan, Kudat and the west coast. A great variety of high-grade fishes and all kinds of crustaceans were found in abundance in the sea and waterways around Tawau. Prawn farming has become largest sea economic source for the district. The oldest and largest prawn farm were located in this area together with six frozen shrimp processing plants. Transportation Most of the town's roads are state roads constructed and maintained by the state's Public Works Department. A program began in 2012 to upgrade the town's roads and increase the amount of public parking. Most major internal roads are dual-carriageways. The only highway route from Tawau connects: Tawau – Semporna – Kunak – Lahad Datu – Sandakan (part of the Pan Borneo Highway) Regular bus services and taxis operate in the town. The town has long-distance, short-distance and local bus stations. The long-distance services connect Tawau to Lahad Datu, Sandakan, Telupid, Ranau, Simpang Sapi, Kundasang, Kota Kinabalu, Sipitang, Beaufort, Papar and Simpang Ranau. The short-distance services connect to destinations including as Sandakan and Semporna. Tawau Airport (TA) (ICAO Code : WBKW) is the second largest airport in Sabah state, after Kota Kinabalu, and has flights linking the town to domestic destinations. Destinations for the airport include Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan via AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines and MASWings. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport also hosted international flights several times per-week, including to Juwata International Airport in Tarakan, Indonesia by MASWings; and RB Link to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, albeit both destinations have been suspended as of 2022. The airport opened in 2001 and handled 1.64 million passengers annually. Before 2001, Tawau was served by the old airport located in North Street (Jalan Utara). The first flight was commenced in September 1953. By the 1960s, the airport was used for small aircraft such as the Fokker 27. The runway was widened in the 1980s, allowing it to operate Boeing 737s. In the early 1970s, the airport received scheduled