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Supadio Airport

Supadio Airport (IATA: PNK, ICAO: WIOO), formerly Sei Durian Airport, is a domestic airport serving Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The airport is located in Kubu Raya Regency, about 17 kilometres (11 mi) from the center of Pontianak and serves as the main gateway to both the city and the province of West Kalimantan. The airport is named after Lieutenant Colonel Supadio, an Indonesian Air Force officer who was one of the commanding officers of the air force base located at the airport. The airport operates regular flights to major Indonesian cities such as Jakarta, Semarang, and Surabaya, as well as to other Kalimantan cities like Banjarmasin and Balikpapan. It also serves rural destinations in the interior of West Kalimantan. In the past, the airport held international status and operated flights to Kuching and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, as well as to Singapore. However, these services have since been discontinued, resulting in the revocation of its international airport designation. The airport was named the best airport in Asia-Pacific in 2020 (2 to 5 million passengers per annum) by Airports Council International.[3]

The airport shares its facilities, including the runway, with Supadio Air Force Base, a Type-A airbase operated by the Indonesian Air Force. The base hosts two key squadrons: the 1st Air Combat Squadron, which operates a fleet of 18 Hawk 109/209 aircraft, and the 51st UAV Squadron, which operates a fleet of CAIG Wing Loong.[4] Due to its proximity to the Malaysian border and the South China Sea, Supadio Air Force Base holds significant strategic importance for national defense and regional security.

History

Supadio Airport new air traffic control tower
Airport terminal interior

The airport was originally built in the early 1940s and was initially named Sei Durian Airport. Its development began after the Dutch colonial government obtained an agreement with the Pontianak Sultanate, which granted land for the construction of an airfield.[5] The Dutch conducted surveys around the Sei Durian area and ultimately selected the site for its strategic defensive value, particularly to deter a potential Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies. However, before construction could commence, the Dutch colonial administration surrendered to Japanese forces. During the occupation, the Japanese military government recognized the site’s strategic importance and proceeded with the construction of the airstrip. Several Japanese military aircraft were stationed at Sei Durian throughout the war.[5] However, the airbase suffered significant damage due to Allied bombing raids. After Japan’s surrender in 1945, the Dutch briefly regained control of the airstrip but made no efforts to repair the damaged facilities. The site was eventually handed over to the newly established Indonesian government, which, over the following years, gradually developed and expanded the airfield into a fully operational airport.[5]

In the early 1960s, in preparation for Operation Dwikora—part of the Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation, a military campaign aimed at opposing the formation of Malaysia—the airbase was upgraded due to its strategic significance and proximity to the Sarawak border.[5] During the confrontation, the airbase served as a key base for operations against Commonwealth forces.

In the 1980s, the airport was renamed Supadio Airport in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Supadio, an Indonesian Air Force officer who had been stationed at the airbase. Supadio tragically died in an airplane crash alongside Colonel Nurtanio Pringgoadisurjo in Bandung in 1966.[6]

International services began in the 1970s with flights to Kuching in neighboring Sarawak, operated by Merpati Nusantara Airlines. In the 1980s, flights to Singapore were introduced by both Garuda Indonesia and Merpati. In late October 1989, Malaysia Airlines began service between Kuching and Pontianak. These international routes were suspended in 1998 during the Asian Financial Crisis.[7] However, flights to Kuching resumed in mid-1999, successively operated by Batavia Air, Kalstar Aviation, and Xpress Air, before Wings Air took over the route. In the early to mid-2010s, short-lived international routes included flights to Singapore (operated by Batavia Air) and Johor Bahru (operated by Xpress Air).[7] AirAsia also launched flights to Kuala Lumpur in late March 2015, but these services were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the absence of active international routes, the Ministry of Transportation officially revoked the airport’s international status on 2 April 2024.[8] As of 2025, negotiations are ongoing between the West Kalimantan provincial government and the Ministry of Transportation to reopen the airport to international flights.[9]

Facilities and development

The airport previously faced overcapacity issues, as it could only accommodate 1.5 million passengers annually. In response, a new terminal was constructed between 2015 and 2017. With a capacity of 32,000 square meters, the new terminal is significantly larger than the old terminal, which was only 13,683 square meters and could accommodate 3.8 million passengers per year.[10] The new terminal was constructed in two phases. Phase I involved the creation of a temporary terminal covering an area of 13,000 square meters (140,000 sq ft), with the capacity to accommodate over 1.5 million passengers annually. Phase I was completed in June 2015. Phase II included the demolition of the existing terminal building and the construction of a new terminal building, expanding upon the structure built in Phase I. The new terminal is equipped with 40 check-in counters, 4 conveyor belts, 7 lifts, 5 escalators, 42 CCTV cameras, and 39 Flight Information Display Systems (FIDS).[11] The parking area was also expanded to accommodate 600 cars and 300 motorcycles. The terminal was completed in 2017 and was inaugurated by then-President Joko Widodo on 28 December 2017.[12] A total of 350 billion Rupiah was invested in the construction of the new terminal.[10]

In 2019, the runway was extended to 2,600 meters, up from the original 2,250 meters, to accommodate larger aircraft. Additionally, the number of jet bridges was increased from 4 to 7.[13] Earlier, between 2010 and 2011, the runway had been widened from 30 meters to 45 meters.[14] There are also plans to extend the runway to 3,000 meters in the future to accommodate wide-body aircraft and to anticipate the increasing air traffic in Pontianak.[15] However, due to limited land availability for extending the existing runway, a proposal has been made to construct a new 3,000-meter by 60-meter runway parallel to the current one. Once completed, the existing runway would be converted into a parallel taxiway.[16] An estimated 300 billion Rupiah will be invested in the construction of the new runway.[16]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Batik Air Balikpapan,[17] Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta[18]
Citilink Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Surabaya[19]
Garuda Indonesia Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta[20]
Lion Air Batam, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Medan,[a] Surabaya
NAM Air Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta[21][22]
Pelita Air Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta[23]
Sriwijaya Air Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta[24]
Super Air Jet Banjarmasin,[25] Denpasar,[26] Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Semarang,[26] Yogyakarta–International
Wings Air Ketapang,[27] Putussibau,[28] Sintang[28]

Notes:

  1. ^ Medan is continuation of Batam flight as the same flight number

Traffic and statistics

Traffic

Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics
Year
Passengers
handled
Passenger
% change
Cargo
(tonnes)
Cargo
% change
Aircraft
movements
Aircraft
% change
2009 1,581,908 Steady 9,454 Steady 15,366 Steady
2010 1,820,185 Increase 15.1 9,584 Increase 1.4 16,766 Increase 9.1
2011 2,132,940 Increase 17.2 10,524 Increase 9.8 19,994 Increase 19.3
2012 2,290,467 Increase 7.4 26,518 Increase 152.0 20,198 Increase 1.0
2013 2,387,322 Increase 4.2 7,729 Decrease 70.9 22,779 Increase 12.
2014 2,503,958 Increase 4.9 17,305 Increase 123.9 23,622 Increase 3.7
2015 2,713,259 Increase 8.4 2,488 Decrease 85.6 25,183 Increase 6.6
2016 3,182,267 Increase 17.3 16,399 Increase 559.1 28,722 Increase 14.1
2017 3,699,297 Increase 16.2 17,401 Increase 6.1 35,897 Increase 25.0
2018 4,067,203 Increase 9.9 23,429 Increase 34.6 39,655 Increase 10.
2019 3,159,542 Decrease 22.3 19,622 Decrease 16.2 29,755 Decrease 25.0
2020 1,342,299 Decrease 57.5 20,463 Increase 4.3 16,553 Decrease 44.4
2021 1,052,283 Decrease 21.6 30,983 Increase 51.4 13,098 Decrease 20.9
2022 2,122,282 Increase 101.7 31,724 Increase 2.4 20,135 Increase 53.7
2023 2,334,090 Increase 10.0 26,113 Decrease 17.7 19,363 Decrease 3.8
Source: DGCA, BPS[2][29]

Statistics

Busiest domestic flights out of Supadio Airport by frequency (2025)[1]
Rank Destinations Frequency (weekly) Airline(s)
1 Jakarta Jakarta, Jakarta Special Capital Region 122 Batik Air, Citilink, Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, NAM Air, Pelita Air, Sriwijaya Air, Super Air Jet
2 West Kalimantan Ketapang, West Kalimantan 28 Wings Air
3 East Java Surabaya, East Java 17 Citilink, Lion Air
4 Riau Islands Batam, Riau Islands 7 Lion Air
5 Yogyakarta Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta 7 Super Air Jet
6 East Kalimantan Balikpapan, East Kalimantan 7 Batik Air
7 Central Java Semarang, Central Java 5 Super Air Jet
8 South Kalimantan Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan 3 Super Air Jet
9 Bali Denpasar, Bali 3 Super Air Jet
10 West Kalimantan Sintang, West Kalimantan 2 Wings Air
11 West Kalimantan Putussibau, West Kalimantan 2 Wings Air

Accidents and incidents

  • On 19 January 1973, Douglas C-47B PK-EHC of Trans Nusantara Airways crashed on landing and was destroyed in the subsequent fire. All four people on board escaped.[30]
  • On 22 November 2004, Sri Hardono, the captain of Garuda Indonesia flight 501, a Boeing 737-500 from Pontianak to Jakarta, was suddenly ill shortly after take-off. Hardono immediately asked permission to the air traffic control to return to the airport. Hardono died shortly after the emergency landing while still in the cockpit. Heart attack was the cause of illness and death. Due to the incident, the airport was temporarily closed for 40 minutes. There were no other injuries or fatalities in this incident.[31]
  • On 2 November 2010, Lion Air flight 712, operated by Boeing 737-400 PK-LIQ, overran the runway on landing, coming to rest on its belly. All 174 passengers and crew evacuated by the evacuation slides, with few injuries reported.[32]
  • On 1 June 2012, a Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-400 skidded off the runway in heavy rain. No injuries were reported, but the plane sustained damage beyond repair.[33]

References

  1. ^ a b "Bandar Udara Supadio" (in Indonesian). Ministry of Transportation. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Statistik Angkatan Udara 2023" (PDF). DGCA. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  3. ^ "2020 - Best Airport by Size and Region". Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  4. ^ Rahmat, Ridzwan (25 February 2018). "Indonesia acquires four Wing Loong I UAVs from China". Jane's Information Group. Aviation Squadron 51 is based near the city of Pontianak in West Kalimantan, and the unit shares a runway with the Supadio International Airport.
  5. ^ a b c d S, Misbahul Munir. "76 Tahun Menjaga Keamanan Wilayah Udara". Pontianak Post (in Indonesian). Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  6. ^ Mukthi, M.F. (1 December 2014). "Nurtanio, Patriot Udara Indonesia". Historia - Majalah Sejarah Populer Pertama di Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Mengetahui Nama Bandara di Pontianak beserta Sejarahnya". kumparan (in Indonesian). 16 June 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  8. ^ Expat, Indonesia (29 April 2024). "Indonesia Revokes International Status of 17 Airports". Indonesia Expat. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  9. ^ CP, Ocsya Ade (30 April 2025). "Selangkah Lagi Status Supadio Kembali Jadi Bandara Internasional". detikKalimantan (in Indonesian). Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  10. ^ a b Agustian, Widi (28 December 2017). "Resmikan Perluasan Bandara Supadio, Presiden: Penumpang Sudah Lama Membeludak". Okezone Economy (in Indonesian). Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  11. ^ Sanusi (6 May 2025). "Besok, Terminal Baru Bandara Supadio Mulai Beroperasi". Tribunnews.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  12. ^ Putri, Ananda Widhia (29 December 2017). "Terminal Ultimate Bandara Internasional Supadio Diresmikan". swa.co.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  13. ^ Mustika, Syanti (14 January 2021). "Bandara Internasional Supadio, Pernah Menyandang Status Terbaik di Dunia". detikTravel (in Indonesian). Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Angkasa Pura II segera perluas bandara Supadio". 3 January 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  15. ^ Dedi (29 March 2018). "Landasan pacu bandara Supadio diperpanjang 3.000 meter". Antara News (in Indonesian). Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  16. ^ a b Fernandez, MG Noviarizal (2 April 2017). "Angkasa Pura II Siapkan Runway Kedua di Bandara Supadio". Bisnis.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  17. ^ "LION AIR GROUP CARRIERS AUG 2024 INDONESIA NETWORK ADDITIONS". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  18. ^ "Batik Air Opens Direct Route Jakarta - Pontianak Starting March 21, 2025". ekonomi.bisnis.com. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  19. ^ "Best Fare Pontianak". www.citilink.co.id.
  20. ^ "Penerbangan Garuda Pontianak-Jakarta Jadi 8 Kali Sehari". BeritaTRANS. 20 August 2013. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020.
  21. ^ "NAM Air".
  22. ^ "Seputar NAM Air Yang Patut Anda Ketahui".
  23. ^ "Pelita Air Resmi Buka Rute Jakarta-Pontianak, Terbang Setiap Hari". kumparanTRAVEL (via MSN). 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  24. ^ "Jelang Imlek 2020, Sriwijaya Air Tambah Rute Penerbangan". Airmagz. 21 January 2020. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020.
  25. ^ "Super Air Jet Opens New Route Connecting Pontianak-Banjarmasin". travel.detik. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  26. ^ a b "Super Air Jet Buka Rute Penerbangan Pontianak-Semarang". agent.lionair. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  27. ^ "Agency Login". Lion Air.
  28. ^ a b "Wings Air Buka Rute dari Pontianak ke Putussibau dan Sintang - Bisnis Tempo.co".
  29. ^ "Statistik Angkatan Udara 2019" (PDF). DGCA. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  30. ^ "PK-EHC Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  31. ^ "Tempointeraktif.com - Pilot Garuda Diduga Meninggal Karena Serangan Jantung". 11 March 2007. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007.
  32. ^ Hradecky, Simon. "Accident: Lionair B734 at Pontianak on Nov 2nd 2010, overran runway on landing". Aviation Herald. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  33. ^ "Indonesian Airliner Carrying 163 Skids off Runway, None Hurt | the Jakarta Globe". Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.