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Investor Daily - Bandara internasional dipangkas dari 34 menjadi 17
29 April 2024
By Heru Febrianto
Jakarta, ID – The Transportation Ministry has decided to cut the number of international airports from 34 to 17. This is expected to bolster the national aviation sector that slumped during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Transportation Ministry Spokesperson Adita Irawati said that the government has issued Transportation Minister Decree No. 31/2024 on Stipulation of International Airports on 2 April 2024. This decree reduces the number of international airports in Indonesia to 17 from 34.
According to Adita, the purpose of this stipulation is to bolster the national aviation sector that slumped during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This decision has also been discussed among relevant ministries and institutions under the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment,” Adita said in her press statement on Friday (26/4/2024).
Regarding international airports in other countries, Adita said that several countries also adjusted the number of their international airports. For example, India with a population of 1.42 billion only has 18 international airports. Meanwhile, the United States of America (USA) with a population of 399.9 million also manages 18 international airports.
She explained that Transportation Minister Decree No. 31/2024 was issued to protect international flights after the pandemic by making the airports international hubs.
“Most international airports only serve international flights to specific countries, not long-distance flights. So, international hubs are preferred by other countries,” she affirmed.
The 17 airports designated as international airports are Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport (Aceh Besar, Aceh), Kualanamu Airport (Deli Serdang, North Sumatra), Minangkabau Airport (Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra), Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport (Pekanbaru, Riau), Hang Nadim Airport (Batam, Riau Islands), Soekarno-Hatta Airport (Tangerang, Banten), Halim Perdanakusuma Airport (East Jakarta, Jakarta), Kertajati Airport (Majalengka, West Java), Kulonprogo Airport (Kulonprogo, Yogyakarta), Juanda Airport (Sidoarjo, East Java), I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport (Badung, Bali), Zainuddin Abdul Madjid Airport (Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara), Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman (Balikpapan, East Kalimantan), Sultan Hasanuddin Airport (Maros, South Sulawesi), Sam Ratulangi Airport (Manado, North Sulawesi), Sentani Airport (Jayapura, Papua), and Komodo Airport (Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara).
According to data from the Air Transportation Directorate General of the Transportation Ministry, among the 34 international airports opened between 2015 and 2021, only five airports facilitate scheduled commercial flights overseas. These airports are Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta, I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, Juanda Airport in Surabaya, Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar, and Kualanamu Airport in Medan.
Some international airports only serve handle short-distance flights to and from one or two countries. Meanwhile, others have limited international flight services with some not offering any international flights at all.
“These two types of airports make operation ineffective and inefficient,” he explained.
According to Adita, even though the 17 international airports have been determined, the airports that have been set as domestic airports can still serve international flights temporarily.
This can realised as it has been greenlighted by the Transportation Minister through Transportation Minister Regulation Number PM 40 of 2023 on Amendment to Regulation of the Minister of Transportation Number PM 39 of 2019 regarding National Airport Order, which governs various activities, including state functions, international events, hajj embarkation and debarkation (including umrah), activities supporting national economic growth in tourism and trade, and disaster mitigation efforts.
“In general, airports, including international airports, will continue to be evaluated. So, airport organisation and operation will be adjusted to the developing situation and condition,” she added.
Disappointment of West Kalimantan Governor
The decision of the Transportation Ministry to cut international airports from 34 to 17 has generated mixed reactions. Acting West Kalimantan Governor Harisson is disappointed as the status of Supadio Airport in West Kalimantan has changed from international to domestic airport.
“While we are disappointed with the decision, we recognise the central government's concern regarding the disparity between outbound tourists from West Kalimantan and inbound international tourists. It is evident that maintaining Supadio Airport's international status could potentially impact foreign exchange,” Harisson said as quoted by Antara.
According to him, Supadio Airport functioned as an international airport to facilitate citizens traveling and shopping overseas. Harisson explained that a reason why the central government changed the status of the airport was to lower the ease of access of Indonesians to overseas destinations.
“The collected data shows that the number of citizens traveling overseas is higher than the number of foreigners entering Indonesia through the international airport,” he stated.
According to him, the central government sees that the number of international airports can cut foreign exchange as they facilitate citizens traveling and shopping overseas.
However, Harisson also noted that citizens of West Kalimantan frequently travel abroad, particularly to Malaysia (Kuching-Sarawak), for healthcare services.
“This consideration is significant, given indications that some of our citizens have more trust in healthcare services overseas. They believe they may not recover unless they seek treatment there,” he said.
Harisson added that the status change of Supadio Airport to a domestic airport significantly impacted citizens in West Kalimantan, especially in terms of international access and healthcare services.
“The regional government will continue to monitor and evaluate the impact of this decision to ensure the interest of citizens,” Harisson said.
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