Indonesia

The Indonesian National Air Carriers Association (INACA) Secretary-General criticised the President's plan to increase international airports, calling the plan a preference of the President rather than one based on technical, economic, traffic, and flight connectivity aspects. He admitted that the opening of more international airports could encourage domestic airlines to introduce cross-border routes, but believed that adding more international airports would have little effect. In H1 2025, 7 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia. Bali Airport accounted for 46.28% of total arrivals with 3.26 million foreign tourists, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport recorded 1.19 million, and Juanda International Airport recorded 149,272 tourists

Indonesia will increase its international airports to 40 from 22 airports. This will add airports in East Java province and industrial areas like Weda Bay and Morowali Industrial Park, the hubs for nickel production. The previous administration reduced the international airports to 17. Only 5 international airports, including Jakarta and Bali, operate regular overseas flights to various countries, while other airports operate limited routes or none at all

The Transportation Minister said the recent launch of seaplanes in Makassar, South Sulawesi, will offer a fast-access solution for travel between the province’s coastal areas

Bali Police will deploy more officers at Bali Airport for public safety and comfort. Bali Airport welcomed 30,000-40,000 passengers a day, and this could increase to 62,000 passengers a day during holiday seasons. The General Manager of the Airport said in Jul 2025, Bali Airport served 2.3 million passengers, making it the busiest month so far due to school and summer holidays. 1,464,677 passengers are international passengers, which accounts for 62% and the remaining 891,466 passengers, or 38% are domestic passengers. In Jul 2025, the airport recorded 76,000 passengers daily, higher than the average of 62,000-72,000 passengers recorded during the Eid holiday 2025

TransNusa will convert charter flight routes between Manado-Shanghai and Manado-Shenzhen to scheduled commercial routes from 8 Sep and 2 Oct, respectively, both with 3 flights per week. Manado-Shanghai flight will have a stopover in Clark International Airport for 30-35 minutes

Indonesia Airlines CEO criticised the government's move to increase the number of international airports in Indonesia. He added that only Jakarta (Soekarno-Hatta), Medan (Kualanamu), and Surabaya or Bali (Juanda/Ngurah Rai) airports should be classified as international airports. He said that 10 airlines are enough to distribute passengers from the international airports throughout Indonesia. He said that too many international airports will reduce the value of the Indonesian aviation industry. Indonesia Airlines is finalising plans to launch its first flight

The Lion Group opened Lion Hub Halim, a new distribution centre and logistics facility in Halim Perdanakusuma, East Jakarta, with a Temporary Storage Area (TPS), cross-docking services, and a Regulated Agent (RA) to offer integrated logistics solutions. Lion Parcel CEO said the facility can handle 150 tons of packages per day. The hub also will serve as an important distribution point for East Jakarta and the surrounding areas

Lombok’s airport has been designated a new national aviation hub, which will serve Central and Eastern Indonesia, with 6 new flights launched by Lion Group from Aug-Oct 2025, including to Labuan Bajo, Malang, Kupang, Yogyakarta, Malang, Jakarta and Perth, its first international route. Its planned Lombok-Bangkok may be postponed

Airbus will partner with Indonesian researchers to develop SAF from biomass, hoping to get 100 million tons annually from Indonesia. It is looking at availability, logistics, supply chain mapping and optimal factory locations. Airbus estimates that Indonesia could produce 500 million tons of biomass annually, more than its 100 million tons requirement, but challenges remain given the infrastructure and regulatory gaps

The President asked the Transport Minister to launch direct international flights to more tourist destinations across Indonesia during the Cabinet meeting

Uzbekistan and Indonesia signed an agreement to increase weekly flights between both countries from 3 to 28. Representatives from AirAsia, Batik Air, and Garuda Indonesia took part in the negotiation process. The weekly quota includes 14 passenger and 14 cargo flights. Airlines from Uzbekistan are now allowed to operate flights beyond Jakarta to 11 cities, like Denpasar, Yogyakarta, Lombok, Surabaya, Medan, and Banda Aceh. This agreement will grant both sides expanded air traffic rights, including 3rd, 4th, and 5th freedom flights for cargo services

Garuda Indonesia launched a new daily route connecting Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Jakarta, with Bali. Garuda Indonesia operates 77 return flights between Jakarta and Bali weekly

Immigration and Corrections Minister said the new integrated immigration system – All Indonesia – at Bali Airport will facilitate tourist movements and will offer convenience for both Indonesian and international visitors. Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Bali office data shows 3.28 million international visitors visited Bali in H1 2025, +12.68% YoY. In 2024, Bali recorded 6.33 million arrivals, an increase from 5.27 million in 2023

Jetstar Asia’s closure impacted the Bali-Singapore route, since it operated 28 flights per week. The airline offered refunds or arranged alternative travel options to all passengers who booked the flight after 31 Jul. 9 airlines offer flights on the Bali-Singapore route, such as Indonesia AirAsia, Garuda Indonesia, Lion, Singapore Airlines, Batik Air, Jetstar Airways, Scoot, KLM, and Saudia

Aji Pangeran Tumenggung Airport (APT) Pranoto in Samarinda will serve daily direct flights to Jakarta by Garuda Indonesia and to Surabaya by Batik Air from 1 Aug

El Tari Airport, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) cancelled 14 flights due to Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki eruption in East Flores, NTT. The airport’s acting head of the legal department said Wings Air cancelled flights to several NTT airports. Bali Airport’s General Manager said on 2 Aug, 6 flights have been delayed and 1 has been postponed

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Garuda Indonesia will improve their commercial partnership from Aug 2025, which includes the joint sale of fare products, an expanded codeshare agreement, and reciprocal airport lounge access for frequent flyer members. Garuda Indonesia will gain access to SIA flights to Bengaluru, Kolkata, Delhi, and Male. SIA passengers will be able to connect to Garuda Indonesia flights from Denpasar to Labuan Bajo, and from Jakarta to Labuan Bajo, Lombok, and Manado. GarudaMiles and KrisFlyer members will get access to airport lounges in Singapore, Denpasar, Jakarta, and Surabaya from mid-Aug

Pelita Air Service will launch its first international route between Jakarta and Singapore from 18 Aug

During the CruiseWorld Indonesia 2024, industry leaders from Singapore Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, and Indonesia AirAsia discussed the airline industry’s landscape in Indonesia. Palembang, Belitung, and Semarang received international airport status, making the secondary cities accessible to cruise hubs like Singapore Singapore Airlines’ General Manager for Indonesia said they are focused on major metro cities, but Scoot is exploring secondary cities, especially those that have been upgraded to international status Singapore Airlines has restored its flight schedules to pre-pandemic levels from Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, and Medan, and it has increased flight capacity to Denpasar. Scoot currently operates from 11 cities in Indonesia, and it plans to add more Garuda Indonesia’s Corporate and Travel Group Head said the airline recorded a +45% in international traffic for 2024. These flight connections play an important role in giving accessibility to cruise departures out of Singapore AirAsia Indonesia’s Head of Policy said they are flying from 15 out of 21 international airports, and they are looking to add more. With 30 aircraft, the airline carried nearly 2 million passengers in 2024, and AirAsia Indonesia is at 75% of its pre-pandemic capacity. He highlighted the launch of new routes such as Jakarta-Manado, Surabaya-Bangkok, and cruise-linked destinations in Australia such as Perth, Darwin, Cairns, and Adelaide

The Badung Regency Government is in the final planning stage to launch a new fast boat service to connect tourists from Bali Airport to Canggu. This service will be introduced in the next 12 months. The Regent of Badung said they need an alternative transportation system to overcome the traffic congestion issue

Garuda Indonesia will expand its flight network to 100 routes by 2029 as part of its 5-year strategy plan, covering domestic and international destinations. Citilink, Garuda’s low-cost subsidiary, will operate 90 flight routes

Danantara Indonesia CEO said the agreement for Garuda Indonesia to purchase 50 Boeing aircraft was established before the pandemic. He said Garuda has received 1 aircraft out of the 50 aircraft. He confirmed terms on the aircraft purchase have been outlined in the tariff deal between Indonesia and the US. Boeing reached out to Garuda Indonesia to follow up on the deal because delivery before 2031-2032 is not viable

AirAsia Indonesia will launch flights from Surabaya to Bangkok from 2 Oct. AirAsia will also launch flights from Surabaya to Tarakan, Tanjung Redeb, and Balikpapan. The Balikpapan service will have 3X flights per week. Batik Air Malaysia will launch a Kuala Lumpur-Palembang flight route from 12 Sep with daily flights

The White House announced Garuda Indonesia will purchase Boeing aircraft for 3.2 billion USD (51.2 trillion IDR) under a commercial agreement between both companies, integrated into a broader trade deal. The Indonesian President said the plans will help with the development of Garuda Indonesia. He said Indonesia will continue to buy aircraft from Airbus, but he didn’t confirm the details

Commission II of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN) discussed opening the Nusantara International Airport, which currently serves only VVIP flights, to the public. The Deputy Chair of Commission II said the closest public airport to Nusantara is in Balikpapan, and opening the Nusantara airport will be more convenient for the locals. The airport’s 3km long runway can accommodate a Boeing 777 plane

The President Director of Garuda Indonesia said that they are looking at various funding options to acquire 50 Boeing 777 aircraft. The airline is utilising a 6.65 trillion loan from Danantara, supplemented by its internal funds. The Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs said the negotiation process is still ongoing under a B2B scheme between Boeing and Garuda

The inaugural Kuala Lumpur-Palembang route was operated on 19 Jul, officially returning Palembang’s Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport as an international airport