Tjilik Riwut Airport

Bandar Udara Tjilik Riwut
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGovernment of Indonesia
OperatorInJourney Airports
ServesPalangkaraya
LocationPalangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia
Opened1 May 1958; 67 years ago (1958-05-01)
Time zoneWIB (UTC+07:00)
Elevation AMSL82 ft / 25 m
Coordinates02°13′30″S 113°56′33″E / 2.22500°S 113.94250°E / -2.22500; 113.94250
Websitewww.tjilikriwut-airport.co.id
Map
PKY is located in Central Kalimantan
PKY
PKY
Location of airport in Central Kalimantan / Indonesia
PKY is located in Kalimantan
PKY
PKY
PKY (Kalimantan)
PKY is located in Indonesia
PKY
PKY
PKY (Indonesia)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
16/34 2,600 8,530 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers695,120 (Increase 23.5%)
Cargo (tonnes)11,047 (Decrease 13.5%)
Aircraft movements7,921 (Decrease 21.2%)
Source: DGCA[1][2]

Tjilik Riwut Airport (IATA: PKY, ICAO: WAGG), formerly Panarung Airport, is a domestic airport serving Palangkaraya, the capital city of Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Located approximately 4.5 km (2.8 miles) from the center of Palangkaraya, the airport is named after Anakletus Tjilik Riwut, an Indonesian Air Force officer and politician of Dayak Ngaju descent. He served as the second governor of Central Kalimantan and is recognized as a national hero of Indonesia. As the largest and busiest airport in Central Kalimantan, it serves as the primary gateway to Palangkaraya and one of the main points of entry to the province. The airport offers regular flights to major Indonesian cities such as Jakarta, Semarang, and Surabaya, and also connects to remote areas in the interior of Kalimantan.

In addition to serving commercial flights, the airport also hosts the Angkasa Aviation Academy, a pilot training school operated by the Lion Air Group.[3] It is the second branch of the academy, following the first campus located at Penggung Airport in Cirebon.[4]

History

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Tjilik Riwut Airport was originally known as Panarung Airfield, established on May 1, 1958, and officially inaugurated by Tjilik Riwut, who was then the Resident of Central Kalimantan. At the time, it was classified as a rural airfield and could only serve limited rural flights using small aircraft such as the Twin Otter.[5] On September 24, 1973, the Central Kalimantan regional government officially handed over the airfield to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation under the Ministry of Transportation. Following the transfer, full administrative responsibility shifted from the regional to the central government. As a result, the Minister of Transportation at the time, Emil Salim, designated Panarung Airfield as a domestic airport, enabling it to accommodate larger aircraft such as the Fokker 27.

In November 1988, Tjilik Riwut was officially designated a National Hero of Indonesia through Presidential Decree No. 108/TK/1988. He was already a well-respected figure among the people of Central Kalimantan, known for his role as a freedom fighter during the Indonesian National Revolution.[6] Tjilik Riwut initially served as a member of the Central Indonesian National Committee (KNIP) before joining the Indonesian Air Force, where he rose to the rank of Major and later Air Commodore. He played a key role in the fight against Dutch colonial forces and led the first parachute operation in Indonesian military history.[6] He was also instrumental in fully integrating the Dutch-controlled territories in Borneo into the Republic of Indonesia. Tjilik Riwut later became the second governor of Central Kalimantan. To honor his legacy, the name of Panarung Airfield was officially changed to Tjilik Riwut Airport on Heroes' Day, November 10, 1988. The renaming was formalized by the Minister of Transportation at the time, Azwar Anas.[7]

On January 1, 2019, the Minister of Transportation transferred the operations of the airport from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to Angkasa Pura II, now known as InJourney Airports.[8]

Following the opening of the new terminal in 2019, all passenger flights were relocated there, leaving the old terminal abandoned and increasingly overgrown with vegetation. Although there are plans to convert the old terminal into a cargo facility, these have yet to be implemented.[9] There are also proposals to repurpose the building as an Emergency Operations Center, which would function as a command hub for managing critical situations such as aircraft hijackings, accidents, and other emergencies. In addition, it is intended to serve as a coordination center for the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) and helicopter operators during forest fire response operations.[10]

Facilities and development

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To accommodate the increasing number of passengers, a new terminal was built to replace the old one. Construction began in 2014 and took 4.5 years to complete.[11] The new terminal spans 29,124 m², significantly larger than the old terminal, which covered only 3,865 m².[12] It has the capacity to handle up to 4.5 million passengers annually. The terminal is also equipped with three jetbridges, previously used at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.[13] Additionally, the project involved constructing new taxiways and expanding the aprons to accommodate more aircraft, as well as extending the runway to 2,600 m.[14] A total investment of around 700 billion Rupiah was allocated for the terminal and associated infrastructure. The new terminal was completed and officially inaugurated by then-President Joko Widodo on April 8, 2019.[12]

Angkasa Pura II has allocated an additional 480 billion Rupiah for further development projects at the airport, including plans to extend the runway by 400 m to 3,000 me to accommodate wide-body aircraft.[12] Other proposed developments under consideration include the construction of MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facilities, a new cargo terminal, airport hotels, and various supporting amenities.[14]

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

[edit]
AirlinesDestinations
Batik Air Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta
Citilink Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta
Garuda Indonesia Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta
Lion Air Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Semarang,[15] Surabaya
Smart Aviation Puruk Cahu[16]
Super Air Jet Yogyakarta–International[17][18]
Susi Air Kuala Pembuang,[1] Muara Teweh,[1] Puruk Cahu[1]
Wings Air Balikpapan

Traffic and statistics

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Apron view of Tjilik Riwut Airport at night.

Traffic

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Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics
Year
Passengers
handled
Passenger
% change
Cargo
(tonnes)
Cargo
% change
Aircraft
movements
Aircraft
% change
2009 327,132 Steady 2,057 Steady 5,331 Steady
2010 291,556 Decrease 10.9 1,896 Decrease 7.8 5,547 Increase 4.1
2011 615,909 Increase 111.2 3,671 Increase 93.6 5,929 Increase 6.9
2012 724,783 Increase 17.7 4,460 Increase 21.5 7,342 Increase 23.8
2013 745,561 Increase 2.9 4,540 Increase 1.8 10,372 Increase 41.3
2014 733,804 Decrease 1.6 4,455 Decrease 1.9 14,025 Increase 35.2
2015 680,406 Decrease 7.3 3,845 Decrease 13.7 16,933 Increase 20.7
2016 740,965 Increase 8.9 3,962 Increase 3.0 23,467 Increase 38.6
2017 531,773 Decrease 28.2 2,903 Decrease 26.7 19,891 Decrease 15.2
2018 1,050,093 Increase 97.5 5,719 Increase 97.0 9,820 Decrease 50.6
2019 617,334 Decrease 41.2 2,626 Decrease 54.1 17,321 Increase 76.4
2020 306,767 Decrease 50.3 2,947 Increase 12.2 4,362 Decrease 74.8
2021 401,228 Increase 30.8 11,315 Increase 283.9 6,319 Increase 44.9
2022 562,921 Increase 40.3 12,765 Increase 12.8 6,538 Increase 3.5
2023 695,120 Increase 23.5 11,047 Decrease 13.5 7,921 Increase 21.2
Source: DGCA, BPS[2][19]

Statistics

[edit]
Busiest domestic flights out of Tjilik Riwut Airport by frequency (2025)[1]
Rank Destinations Frequency (weekly) Airline(s)
1 Jakarta Jakarta, Jakarta Special Capital Region 35 Batik Air, Citilink, Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air
2 East Java Surabaya, East Java 21 Lion Air
3 Central Java Semarang, Central Java 7 Lion Air
4 Yogyakarta Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta 4 Super Air Jet
5 East Kalimantan Balikpapan, East Kalimantan 4 Wings Air
6 Central Kalimantan Puruk Cahu, Central Kalimantan 3 Smart Aviation, Susi Air
7 Central Kalimantan Muara Teweh, Central Kalimantan 2 Susi Air
8 Central Kalimantan Kuala Pembuang, Central Kalimantan 2 Susi Air

Accidents and incidents

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  • On 29 August 2011, Garuda Indonesia flight GA551, a Boeing 737-500 carrying 96 passengers to Jakarta, was forced to return to Palangkaraya approximately 15 minutes after takeoff due to a malfunction in the cabin cooling system. The issue was only detected after the aircraft departed from Palangkaraya at 08:04 local time.[20]
  • On 22 April 2012, Garuda Indonesia flight GA550, a Boeing 737-800 from Jakarta, struck an eagle during its approach to Palangkaraya. Although there were no injuries, the aircraft's nose cone sustained damage. As a result, the plane was unable to operate the return flight to Jakarta. Passengers on the return leg were eventually flown out at 20:00 local time using a replacement aircraft dispatched from Jakarta.[21]
  • On 14 December 2016, a Lion Air Boeing 737-900ER operating flight JT 0866 from Jakarta to Palangkaraya became stuck on the runway after its landing gear sank into the asphalt. The incident temporarily closed the runway, resulting in four flight delays and one diversion. The aircraft was successfully removed from the runway after being stuck for approximately 1.5 hours.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Tjilik Riwut" (in Indonesian). Ministry of Transportation. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Statistik Angkatan Udara 2023" (PDF). DGCA. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  3. ^ Mediatama, Grahanusa (14 September 2018). "Mengintip sekolah pilot milik Lion Air Group". kontan.co.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  4. ^ Camelia (15 September 2018). "Armada dan Rute Terus Bertambah, Sekolah Penerbang Lion Air Targetkan 250 Pilot per Tahun". liputan6.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  5. ^ Amin, Ahmad Abdul Jabar Mustofa (5 October 2023). "Bandara Tjilik Riwut di Palangkaraya: Sejarah 65 Tahun Operasi Menuju Keemasan Kalimantan Tengah". Cilacap Update (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  6. ^ a b Indrajaya, Dimas Wahyu (6 September 2020). "Tjilik Riwut, Putra Dayak Pemimpin Pasukan Terjun Payung Pertama TNI AU". goodnewsfromindonesia.id (in Indonesian).
  7. ^ "Presiden Harap Bandara Tjilik Riwut Jadi Motor Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Kementerian Perhubungan Republik Indonesia". dephub.go.id. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  8. ^ Hadyan, Rezha (3 January 2019). "Kemhub serahkan pengelolaan Bandara Tjilik Riwut kepada AP II". kontan.co.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  9. ^ Widodo, Hari (9 January 2022). "Gedung Lama Bandara Tjilik Riwut Palangkaraya Direncanakan Jadi Terminal Kargo". Banjarmasinpost.co.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Eks Terminal Bandara Tjilik Riwut Memprihatinkan". Tabengan Online (in Indonesian). 26 October 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  11. ^ "Terminal Baru Bandara Tjilik Riwut Beroperasi". SINDOnews Ekbis (in Indonesian). 9 April 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  12. ^ a b c "Jokowi Resmikan Bandara Tjilik Riwut di Palangkaraya". Tempo (in Indonesian). 8 April 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  13. ^ Kasriadi (21 March 2019). "Bandara Tjilik Riwut Palangka Raya terima tiga garbarata". Antara News (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  14. ^ a b Rahma, Athika (8 April 2019). "AP II Siapkan Rp 480 Miliar buat Pengembangan Bandara Tjilik Riwut". liputan6.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Lion Air Buka Rute Baru Semarang-Palangkaraya, Mulai 14 Juni 2024". travel.detik.com. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  16. ^ "Pemkab Mura: Maskapai Smart Aviation Buka Rute Baru". Palangka Ekspres (in Indonesian). 26 February 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  17. ^ "Super Air Jet Buka Rute Penerbangan Pontianak-Palangkaraya". agent.lionair. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Super Air Jet Buka Rute Penerbangan Palangka Raya-Yogyakarta". kalteng.tribunnews. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  19. ^ "Statistik Angkatan Udara 2019" (PDF). DGCA. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  20. ^ Khaitami, Mustain (23 August 2011). "Mesin Pendingin Rusak, Garuda Mendarat Darurat". Tribunkalteng.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  21. ^ Radius, Dwi Bayu (22 April 2012). "Garuda Ditabrak Burung Elang". Kompas (in Indonesian).
  22. ^ K, Nograhany Widhi. "Lion Air Nyangkut di Aspal Runway Bandara Kalteng Sukses Dievakuasi". detiknews (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 May 2025.
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