Kualanamu International Airport

History

Polonia airport was the site of several accidents. It is located in the center of the city of Medan (therefore precluding further expansions), has a challenging takeoff path and a relatively short runway. The development of Kualanamu Airport initiated in 1991. In a visit to Medan, Azwar Anas, Minister of Transport at the time, stated that for the sake of aviation safety, a new airport would be developed outside of the city of Medan.

Preparation of construction began in 1997, but the Asian Financial Crisis that started in the same year postponed the development of Kualanamu Airport. Demand for the new airport resumed after the Mandala Airlines Flight 091 accident in September 2005 that occurred shortly after taking off from Polonia. The accident that took the life of North Sumatra Governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin also caused ground casualties, as the airport is very close to overcrowded residential areas.

All 1,365 hectares land acquisitions were made between 1995 and 1997 and had a certificate with Exploitation Right (Hak Pengelolaaan) Number-1 on November 29, 1999 and a 100% belonged to PT Angkasa Pura II. Between 1999 and 2006 some people used a part of the land illegally as agricultural land and PT Angkasa Pura II offered them some money to move elsewhere. Construction resumed on June 29, 2006, shortly before the first anniversary of the crash of Mandala Airlines Flight 091. Jusuf Kalla, vice President at the time, laid the first cornerstone. These marked the construction of Kualanamu after several years with no progress. It was predicted that the airport would be completed by 2010. Because land acquisition was the biggest hurdle for this project, the airport opening date was delayed until 2013 due to lack of local government awareness.

A soft opening to the public occurred on 25 July 2013. The airport's first commercial departure was a Garuda Indonesia flight GA 181 bound for Jakarta at 05:00 WIB. The first international departure was Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ 8078 bound for Penang at 05:15 WIB. The first domestic arrival was Lion Air flight JT 397 from Banda Aceh at 07:05 WIB. The first international arrival was Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ 8079 from Penang at 07:25 WIB.

Kuala Namu International Airport was officially inaugurated on 27 March 2014 by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Facilities and infrastructure

The airport is Indonesia's second largest, after Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, with a 224,298 m² passengers terminal and will eventually have a capacity of 50 million passengers (2030), a figure if realised today would place the airport in the top 10 busiest by passenger numbers in the world, although by the time this figure is achieved it is likely that there will be many airports carrying more passengers. Kualanamu Airport has automatic Baggage Handling System, the first in Indonesia which does not need baggage porters.

The airport is equipped with a single 3,750 x 60 meter runway, a 3,750m and 2,000m long parallel taxiway capable of accommodating wide-body aircraft, including category - F jets such as the Airbus A380, Boeing 747-8, and Antonov 225. It also includes an apron area measuring 664 m² capable of handling 33 aircraft. It also has a 13,000 m² cargo area that can handle 3 carriers with 65,000 tonnes/annum and 50,820 m² parking capacity with 405 taxis, 55 busses, and 908 cars. For city access, the airport has one existing highway (non-toll road), a new purpose built toll road (part of Trans-Sumatra Highway), and a new purpose-built dual-track train viaduct to Medan.

Covering on 1,365 ha^2 of land, 20 km North East of Polonia airport, 3 km from the sea, and on a site of area 6,5 x 2,1 km. Phase 1 of the new airport has a capacity to serve 8 million passengers annually, but at early 2014 has served 8.3 million passengers annualized. Phase 2 will start construction in mid-2015 to serve 25 million passengers.

Currently, the ILS system in used is ILS CAT I for both Runway 05 and 23. Arrivals and departures are usually directed to Runway 23 while Runway 05 will be used pertaining to wind direction.

Operations

Airside facilities would be controlled by the Indonesian government, while landside facilities would be owned by a joint venture with PT Angkasa Pura II, which is expected to provide $350 million as an initial investment in return for a 30-year lease, after which ownership would revert to PT Angkasa Pura II. The airport will be linked to the city of Medan by a $10.7 million railway project. An 18 km highway is under construction improving the airport's road connection to the city of Medan. It will cost $1.5 billion and will have 4 interchange, 4 underpasses, 7 flyovers, and 3 toll gates.

The airport is the first in Indonesia with a publicly accessible check-in area (current Indonesian airports restrict access to ticket holders with security at the gate). This means a much larger and more spacious check-in area than the existing airport. The airport is designed by Wiratman & Associates, who had also designed several other new airports and office buildings in Indonesia. Computer renderings showing a T-shape design are on the company's website. Another rendering and masterplan can be found in Angkasa Pura II website. Also a visualization of the future airport video.

Train

Train services is provided by Railink, a joint venture between Angkasa Pura II and Indonesian Railway. It is the first integrated airport rail link in Indonesia, city check-in and electronic tickets are also available for convenience. Online reservation were available for booking and also vending machines serve Visa and MasterCard and debit card of BNI, BRI, BCA, Mandiri and Mega. Train services costs IDR 100,000 or about $8. The trains were made in South Korea.

The train runs trip from Medan Main Station beside the Merdeka Square at Balai Kota Street at 4:00 a.m. to 08:00 p.m and from the airport at 5:25 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. It is the fastest way to reach the airport, taking 30 minutes, but from the Airport to Medan taking 30 to 47 minutes.

In May 2014 a groundbreaking to make double-track from Medan to the Airport has been done and it will cut time travel at least 10 minutes from current situation. The first stage of double track, Kualanamu-Bandar Klipah is predicted to be finished in end 2015, while the second stage as fly over Bandar Klipah-Medan city is predicted to be finished in mid-year 2016.

Bus

A state-owned bus company DAMRI operates services to the airport. The DAMRI bus has only two bus shelters in Medan, on Gatot Subroto next to Plaza Medan Fair and at Amplas bus terminal. It takes about 60 to 90 minutes to reach the airport. The fare is cheaper than a train ride to city. There is also a sharing cab which carries passengers to several destinations. Paradep and Travel Nice Trans link the airport to Parapat via Pematang Siantar that is main gateway to reach some popular destinations like Samosir Island and Lake Toba.

Cars

There is car that readily to be rented from several operators such as ASSA, Blue Bird, TRAC and SENA.

Taxis

Taxi costs about twice that of train tickets. Taxi operators that bring passengers to the airport are limited to Blue Bird, KARSA, MATRA, and Nice Trans. Passengers are encouraged to use a taxi with a meter to avoid scams.

Regional hub

Kualanamu International Airport is plotted to be a Regional Hub as South Korea's Incheon International Airport brother airport, so on June 25, 2012 an agreement has been signed of both party operators. Incheon operator will assist Kualanamu operator to become Regional Hub with world-class standards.

In early 2014, Flying Fox Airways is still processing the hub license. On May 1, 2014 Indonesian Flag Carrier Garuda Indonesia opened flight from Medan to Jeddah as extension of Makassar-Medan.

Toll Road

On September 23, 2014 cornerstone of the project has been done to formalize the project. The 61.8 kilometers toll road consists of seven sections:

The projects will be finished in 2017.

Accolades

In June 2015, Kuala Namu received a certificate from Skytrax as a "4-Star Airport", the first Indonesian airport to receive such title.