HONG KONG—Indonesia is shifting its aviation growth strategy to develop international airports beyond its primary hubs of Jakarta and Bali, targeting emerging destinations like Yogyakarta to support a national goal of increasing annual visitor numbers from 154 million to 162 million by 2025.
The initiative is being driven by state-owned holding company InJourney Airport, formed from the merger of airport operators Angkasa Pura I and II. The consolidation aims to better align airport infrastructure with national tourism strategy.
At Routes World in Hong Kong, InJourney director of commercial Veri Y. Setiady told Aviation Week that the priority is the establishment of more international connections into more points in the country, beyond just Jakarta and Bali.
While there are “intense” discussions with the government to also expand flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia’s fleet and network, the short-term plan is to rely on foreign carriers to bring in tourists.
InJourney is in talks with Australian carriers and authorities to market Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) as both a destination and as transit hub for Southeast Asia and beyond. The airport, which opened in 2019, has an annual capacity of 20 million passengers.
Parallel infrastructure upgrades are underway in eastern Indonesia. A new terminal at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport (UPG) in Makassar will increase its capacity to 18 million passengers annually, while a runway extension is planned at Syamsudin Noor Airport (BDJ) in Banjarmasin.
Related Content
