Trillions of Rupiah Spent on State Budget, These 4 Airports Are Now Dormant

Several airports in Indonesia are currently dormant due to low passenger numbers and inactivity. This is despite the government allocating trillions of rupiah from the State Budget (APBN).

According to Katadata.co.id, at least four airports are experiencing low passenger numbers and are not operational:

1. JB Soedirman, Purbalingga (construction cost: Rp350 billion)
2. Ngloram Airport, Blora (construction cost: Rp80 billion)
3. Wiriadinata, Tasikmalaya (construction cost: Rp30 billion)
4. Kertajati Airport, Majalengka (construction cost: Rp2.6 trillion)

JB Soedirman Airport, Purbalingga, was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo on June 1, 2021. It currently has no scheduled flights. Previously, Citilink used the airport for Jakarta-Purbalingga-Jakarta flights. Wings Air briefly used the airport for flights from Pondok Cabe Airport on August 5, 2022, but this route was closed again on August 19, 2022, due to low passenger numbers.

Next, Ngloram Airport, Blora, was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo in December 2021. The airport's construction cost Rp80 billion. However, there are no scheduled flights to this airport located in Cepu, Blora Regency, Central Java.

Furthermore, Wiriadinata Airport, Tasikmalaya, inaugurated in February 2019 with a construction cost of Rp30 billion and a 200-meter runway, was temporarily closed due to low passenger numbers. Susi Air resumed flights from the airport to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Jakarta, in August 2022. However, these flights are highly dependent on demand.

Finally, the West Java International Airport (BIJB) Kertajati, built with a massive budget of Rp2.6 trillion and inaugurated on May 24, 2018, is the largest airport in Indonesia after Soekarno-Hatta. However, it ceased regular scheduled flights in July 2019 due to low passenger numbers.

(read: Check out the 5 Airports with the Longest Runways in the World)