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Airlines cheer, hotels slam reduction of international airports
Indonesia has too many international airports due to government oversight, an expert says.
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Passengers arrive at Pattimura International Airport on the TransNusa Airlines inaugural Sorong-Ambon flight in Ambon, Maluku on April 18, 2024. The Sorong-Ambon flight uses COMAC ARJ21-799 aircraft and is part of TransNusa's route expansion in Eastern Indonesia. (Antara/Pattimura International Airport)
T
he government has stripped 17 airports of their international status, in a move to winnow out under-performing airports and to better improve the country’s aviation sector, which has been struggling since the COVID-19 pandemic.
That figure amounts to half the total of 34 international airports previously available in the country. Transportation Ministerial Decree No. 31/2024 will only allow those impacted to serve domestic scheduled flights. However, a separate regulation says all airports in the country will retain the ability to serve non-scheduled international flights, such as charter flights for haj and umrah (minor haj), medical evacuation and medical treatment abroad.
Transportation Ministry spokesperson Adita Irawati defended the decision. She said in a statement on April 26 that the airports served only a few international flights, primarily only serving nearby countries in the region and not long-haul routes.
“Their existence mainly benefited other countries,” Adita said.
Only 169 foreign tourists entered Indonesia through these airports in 2023, accounting for a mere 0.0021 percent of total air arrivals, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data released on May 2.
However, the decision is not final, as the decree also stipulates that the government could revisit the status upon evaluation every five years.
Read also: Govt rules out aviation fuel as cause of persistently high airfares
