JAKARTA will reopen Halim Perdanakusuma Airport for commercial operations to help lift the strain off Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Last year, Soekarno-Hatta airport exceeded its annual traffic capacity of 23 million by about 20 million passengers.
Halim Perdanakusuma, which has the capacity to accommodate up to three million passengers a year, was the Indonesian capital’s main airport until the opening of Soekarno-Hatta in 1985. Since then, it has been utilised for presidential, diplomatic and military flight operations.
Reinstated commercial operations at Halim Perdanakusuma will be limited to short-haul domestic services using aircraft with a capacity of 110 passengers.
Director general of Air Transportation, Herry Bakti Gumay, said Merpati Nusantara Airlines will be the first carrier to avail of the renewed commercial services at Halim Perdanakusuma, connecting with Palembang (South Sumatra), Lampung and Bandung (West Java).
