Kertajati International Airport


Kertajati International Airport, is an airport in West Java constructed to serve as the second international airport for the Greater Bandung, also serving Cirebon metropolitan, parts of West Java and Central Java provinces. Now one of two largest airports in Indonesia by area, it is located in Majalengka Regency, around 68 kilometers east of Bandung.
The airport began operation on 24 May 2018 with the President aircraft Indonesia-1 landed at the airport, and grand opening in July 2019. The new airport functions as a buffer to help ease air traffic at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta. Upon completion, the airport will have a total capacity of 29 million passengers annually, with additional space for expansion. The airport will also operate cargo terminals with an official estimate of 1.5 million tons of cargo by 2020.

Development

In order to ensure completion of Kertajati Airport, construction of Karawang Airport has been put on hold and Kertajati was fast-tracked for completion. The 1,800 hectares airport is estimated to cost Rp 25.4 trillion. The plan includes three runways to accommodate superjumbo jets such as the Airbus A380, Antonov An-225, Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A350-1000 XWB. The airport will also be equipped with technology to handle latest aircraft such as Boeing 787-10 The project will include a 3,400 hectares Aerotropolis, known as Kertajati Aerocity. Twice the size of the airport, this aerotropolis will be a new center of economic growth. It is located north of the Cipali Toll Road, east of the Cimanuk River.
Project implementation consists of five phases: preparation phase, phase I, phase I-II and purpose phase III and IV after 2025. During Phase I, the project focused on airport development. Phases I-II will be Kertajati Aerocity development, phase III will be the growth of Kertajati as aerotropolis, and as the final phase, Kertajati Aerocity will act as an enabler of sustainable economic center. Based on strategic development plan, aside from regular large passenger jet & cargo flights, the airport facilities have been optimized for Low Cost Carriers and Hajj flights to Saudi Arabia. This will eventually shift passengers and traffic from Bandung & West Java which have been heavily congesting CGK, to Kertajati.
The airport features a single runway with the apron accommodating 22 aircraft. In April 2019 the airport runway extension work to 3000 metres was finished.

Terminal

Initially, the terminal has area with 2 concourses of domestic & international gates, 11 million passengers a year. Furthermore, as construction proceeds, the terminal will expand to area with a passenger capacity of 30 million passengers per year by 2019, with plenty of space for phase II expansion. Citilink is the first airline to get permission with Kertajati-Juanda route will start on June 8, by an Airbus A320 aircraft.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Statistics

RankDestinationsFrequency Airline
1 Surabaya16Citilink, Indonesia AirAsia, Lion Air
2 Denpasar/Bali14Indonesia AirAsia, Lion Air
3 Balikpapan7Lion Air
4 Banjarmasin7Lion Air
5 Batam7Lion Air
6 Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta7Citilink
7 Medan7Lion Air
8 Pekanbaru7Lion Air
9 Makassar4Lion Air

RankDestinationsFrequency Airline
1 Kuala Lumpur–International2Malaysia Airlines

arrived at Kertajati International Airport and gave a speech on 24 May 2018

Ground Transportation

Several bus companies, including Perum DAMRI and private operators provide services from the airport to various destinations of West Java roundtrip. Damri Airport bus is free-of-charge.
Damri Airport Bus tickets to Bandung cost Rp 75,000 and to Cirebon cost Rp 40,000. The central government is currently providing a transportation subsidy by operating free Damri buses for one year, from Karawang, Cirebon and Bandung. The airport will be accessed by Cisumdawu Toll Road, which is now under construction and expected to be completed by 2020. The airport will be also connected to Cikampek-Palimanan Toll Road with an extension which is expected to complete by 2020.
Train routes of Bandung-Garut and Cianjur-Bandung will also be forwarded to Kertajati Airport for accessibility support. Although still pushing for high speed rail project that will extend from Bandung to the airport, PT Bandara Internasional Jawa Barat and have signed an MOU to build rail tracks and airport train system, when necessary.

Criticism

During the soft opening, the airport suffered from mismanagement owing to lack of passengers utilizing the airport. The airport has been criticized by passengers and airlines due to its remoteness and lengthy distance from the city of Bandung that it served. Vice President Jusuf Kalla also criticize the local authority for not doing proper research when developing the airport. Similarly Indonesian Ombudsman criticized failures and lack of effort by the airport company, BIJB in consulting airlines when developing the airport. Poor occupancy caused Indonesia's national airline Garuda Indonesia eventually pulled out of the airport in September 2019. The airport's poor access have also been blamed for declining hotel and restaurant revenue in Bandung, as many tourist from outside Java island shun Bandung.