Angkasa Pura

AP II and Airlines Start Realizing Kualanamu Airport as an International Aviation Hub

The national carrier and the world's largest airline IndiGo Airlines opens direct flights to fat markets to and from India

Jakarta - PT Angkasa Pura II through its subsidiary PT Angkasa Pura Aviasi together with a number of airlines will soon make Kualanamu Airport an international hub.

The strategic location of Kualanamu Airport and supported by a clear program from AP II and Angkasa Pura Aviation, makes national airlines compete to make Kualanamu Airport an international hub.

"AP II collaborates with airlines to make Kualanamu Airport an international hub so that together we can accelerate tourism and industrial growth in North Sumatra," said AP II President Director Muhammad Awaluddin.

Muhammad Awaluddin added, "AP II and the airline have discussed the plan for this international hub, with very good progress. We are very pleased to see the airline's response."

President Director of PT Angkasa Pura Aviasi Achmad Rifai revealed that a number of airlines will open new international routes at Kualanamu Airport.

"Angkasa Pura Aviation held discussions with Lion Air Group and AirAsia Indonesia to make Kualanamu Airport an international hub. We also held discussions with one of the largest airlines in the world, namely IndiGo Airlines from India to open flights at Kualanamu Airport," said Achmad Rifai.

Based on data from the UK-based Official Airlines Guide (OAG), IndiGo Airlines was ranked 9th in the list of Top 20 Airlines by Market Size in August 2022 with a flight frequency of 49,610 flights.

Meanwhile, Lion Air is the largest airline in ASEAN that operates 8 types of aircraft for various services and flight operational needs, consisting of ATR 72-500, ATR 72-600, Airbus A320-200, Airbus A330-300, Airbus A330-900, Boeing 737-800 NG, Boeing 737-900 ER and Boeing 737-8.

AirAsia Indonesia is part of the AirAsia Group which is the best LCC airline in the world for 12 consecutive years and has flown 600 million aircraft passengers.

Achmad Rifai said that currently the portion of international passengers is still low, below 10 percent of the total passengers. In line with the development to become an international hub, the share of passengers on international routes can reach around 40%.

Indian Route
The addition of routes to and from abroad is one of the efforts to increase the share of international passengers. By the end of this year, it is targeted that Kualanamu Airport will add international routes, namely flights to and from India.

“The market for flights from India to ASEAN and vice versa is quite large, and currently there is no direct flight route routinely between Indonesia and India. In the near future Kualanamu Airport will serve regular direct flights to and from India," said Achmad Rifai.

Based on data owned by AP II, it is recorded that 6 cities in India namely Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad have connected direct flights with Bangkok and Singapore. Meanwhile, Phuket (Thailand), Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi (Vietnam), have also been connected to several cities in India via direct flights.

Even though Indonesia and India do not have direct flights on a regular basis, the fact is that Indonesia still has an attraction for travelers from India. Travelers from India enter Indonesia through other ASEAN countries.

"Based on traveler data entering Indonesia through other ASEAN countries, 12% are travelers from India. This portion is quite large, and Kualanamu Airport will open direct flights to and from India so that 12% of travelers can go directly to Indonesia without going through other ASEAN countries, "said Achmad Rifai.

Furthermore, Achmad Rifai revealed that Angkasa Pura Aviasi together with national airlines and IndiGo Airlines had discussed opening routes from a number of Indian cities, including Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata to Medan, and vice versa.

“Kualanamu Airport will open direct flights to and from India. Travelers from India can immediately land at Kualanamu Airport to then continue their business or tourism trips to domestic destinations," said Achmad Rifai.