So you want to catch a flight at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport but you are too intimidated by the horrendous rush-hour traffic and the forever full parking lots?

Then the Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in East Jakarta could be an option. It’s more accessible but understandably offers fewer destinations because it permanently shares the space with military aircraft.

There, you can travel on budget airlines, Citilink and Batik Air and regular flights of Citilink, Batik Air, Susi Air, Pelita Air, TransNusa Air Service and Wings Air.

Halim Perdanakusuma is a military airport that was opened for commercial flights in 2014 with the aim of easing air traffic at Soekarno-Hatta. It serves scheduled and charter flights and cargo for domestic and international routes.

The commercial flights are managed by state air operator Angkasa Pura II and the military by the Indonesian Air Force; both use the same runway. The commercial terminal building is located next to the military air base compound.

“At Halim [as the airport is better known] we serve 50 roundtrip flights a day,” Angkasa Pura II president director Budi Karya says.

The idea to use Halim to serve as both commercial and military functions has caused security concerns. As an air force base, the airport should have been earmarked as a restricted area but the government has been insistent.

Former Air Force chief of staff Chappy Hakim sees the government’s policy to mix commercial and military interests at Halim as a solution to the mismanagement of the overly crowded Soekarno-Hatta as a “silly” idea.

The problem with Soekarno-Hatta is that the facility is thought to be unable to accommodate the fast-growing number of passengers despite the recent expansion.

“Solving the overwhelming passenger growth by sharing the burden with the [Halim] military airport puts national security at risk,” Chappy says. “How could policymakers put bigger national interest after business?”

As a crucial part of the country’s armament system, Halim houses at least three jet fighter squadrons, special air force battalions and a military aircraft maintenance facility. It is the headquarters of the air defense command.

No doubt, the presence of the commercial flights intrudes military activity, especially in times when both have to use the runway at the same time.

Besides, Halim is used for VIP and VVIP personalities, including the president, vice president and foreign dignitaries, meaning that the facility needs top security and the civilian activity makes the arrangement even more difficult. Top-secret missions and major rescue operations also use Halim as their base.

That’s not to mention other handicaps: Halim has a single runway and has no taxiway, while the apron is very narrow, increasing chances of accidents. In April, for example, a Batik Air aircraft was forced to abort takeoff after it clipped wings with a TransNusa Air. As a result, Batik Air’s wing caught fire.

According to the Transportation Ministry, 35 out of 233 airports in Indonesia are built on the property of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and, like Halim, most are used for both commercial and military purposes.

Predictably, the facility sharing system can create complications. In times of high urgency, such as when the military has to use the airport as its base for secret missions or emergency humanitarian operations, the Air Force is entitled to priority.

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Security problems at Indonesian airports

• Gap between growing number of passengers and infrastructure capacity.
• Airport staff shortages, as well as lack of skills.
• Poor service management.
• Old infrastructure to support flight operations.
• Outdated Air Traffic Control systems.
• Lack of coordination among airport organizations.
• Lack of consistency in security standards among airports.
• Poor law enforcement.

From various sources

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For routine day-to-day activity, the Air Force and commercial airlines already have arrangements. “Usually, our personnel conduct their routine training from morning to noon, then the rest of the day belongs to the airlines,” says Indonesia Air Force spokesman Air Commodore Wieko Sofyan.

In the run-up to the Aug. 17 Independence Day celebration, when our personnel have to conduct aerobatics exercises and ready the jets, the private flights have to adjust their schedules accordingly.

Understandably, some leaders cherish their dreams of the Air Force having its own air bases free from commercial and private flights, which can have a view of the military quarters every time they are landing and taking off.

“We feel uneasy. We should have made our quarters an off-limit area closed to the public,” Wieko says.

Risks posed by the free access to Halim are obvious. Moreover, Halim is a 2,600 hectare state property with invaluable assets, requiring extra efforts and personnel to protect it. Adding to the complexity is the ongoing construction of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway tracks through the area. The Air Force is still undecided if it will allow a railway station there.

In April, security personnel caught five Chinese nationals working for the railway project, thinking that the workers had entered a restricted area without the airport authority’s permit. “The situation can be very dangerous because people, let alone foreigners, can easily trespass the military base,” says Halim Perdanakusuma air base chief Col. Sri Mulyono Handoko.

The long-standing anxieties about safety and security at Halim, worsened by the Batik Air and TransNusa Air April incident, have provoked calls for the government to review its policy to allow the commercial airlines to share the Halim Perdanakusuma military airport.

Some lawmakers in the House of Representatives hope the government goes back to the drawing board and report on its conclusion by the end of September.

“In other countries, airport security is extremely tight, even at their domestic airports for fear of terror threats,” says Epyardi Asda, a legislator overseeing transportation affairs.

— JP/Nani Afrida

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