Adisutjipto International Airport

A Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737 NG with its current livery at Adisutjipto International Airport, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. (2010)

Adisutjipto Airport was preceded by a landing ground at Maguwo which was used before and during the Second World War. It is named after Agustinus Adisucipto, a pilot who was killed during an attack on Maguwo by the Dutch on 29 July 1947, when his flight, the Dakota VT-CLA, was shot down. Based on the decision of the head of the Air Force Staff No. 76 of 1952 on 17 August 1952 the name of Maguwo air base was changed to Adisutjipto airbase.

Since 1959 Adisutjipto Airport was made for the Republic of Indonesia Air Force Academy (AAU). In 1964 the Directorate General of Civil Aviation with its decision and with the approval of the Indonesian Air Force, AdiSutjipto Jogjakarta Airport became a Civil and Military Combined Air port. In 1972 the first expansion of the Civil Terminal was carried out. Then in 1977 the terminal was expanded again because of the increasing volume of flights. On 1 April 1992, in accordance with Government Regulation No. 48 of 1992, Adisutjipto Airport was officially entered into the management of Angkasa Pura I Corporation. 2 January 1993 its status was changed to PT (PERSERO) Angkasa Pura I.

The airport was heavily damaged by the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake and had to be closed for two days. Some parts of the runway were cracked, and the departure lounge collapsed. Most flights were cancelled or rerouted to Adisumarmo International Airport, Solo. After the airport returned to service on 30 May 2006, all passengers used the international lounge until the new domestic departure lounge was ready. During this period, passenger comfort was affected as the international lounge was designed only for about 100 passengers at a time. The airport was closed for several days due to the 2010 Mount Merapi eruption as the volcanic ash could endanger the safety of flights. During this period, passengers were diverted to Adisumarmo International Airport in Solo, Achmad Yani International Airport in Semarang, or transferred to another mode of transportation to the city of Yogyakarta.

International routes

Adisutjipto Airport's Entrance

Before Adisutjipto became an international airport, Yogyakarta relied on Bali and Jakarta for its international flights. It became an international airport on 21 February 2004 with the first flight, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, operated by the Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia. This was the successful conclusion to the city's efforts of over 30 years to have its own international airport. One month later, Garuda Indonesia operated its second international flight, to Singapore. Due to low demand, Garuda Indonesia ceased international flights from the airport on November 2006. International flights resumed on 30 January 2008 when AirAsia began to fly the Yogyakarta–Kuala Lumpur route using Airbus A320 aircraft. From 1 February 2008, Malaysia Airlines started to serve the Yogyakarta–Kuala Lumpur route operating Boeing 737-400 aircraft but ceased operation in 2011. In April 2008 AirAsia raised the frequency of its Yogyakarta–Kuala Lumpur flights from four times weekly to daily.[1] In December 2008, Garuda Indonesia resumed its Yogyakarta–Singapore flight, operating three times weekly but ceased in 2009. AirAsia started to fly a Yogyakarta–Singapore flight on 24 March 2009, operating daily. SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, began operating Yogyakarta-Singapore route from 25 October 2013.

Adisutjipto Airport's Domestic Departure Lounge

Adisucipto is being redeveloped to cope with the increasing number of passengers. The location of this airport is unusual since the terminal is only about 10 metres from a railway line. A long-range plan has been developed to build Adisucipto as a "fused terminal" by building a railway station and bus terminal in the airport. There is still a problem of limited availability of land. An underpass connecting the terminal building and a new carpark (to the north of the railway) has been completed. The construction of the new Maguwo Station to the north of the airport has also been completed. In August 2015, a new Terminal B was open for operation. The new terminal handles all international traffic and the domestic service of some low-cost carriers. There are plans to lengthen the runway by 300 metres (980 ft) to the east. The runway will then be 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) in length. Plans also call to widen the apron so that it will be able to handle 11 Boeing 737-400s and 2 Boeing 767-300ERs, and expansion of the terminal. Currently the airport has a secondary taxiway beside having a primary taxiway to the south of the apron. This taxiway is to the east of the apron, and is used to connect the apron to the eastern (or Runway 27) end of the runway. Previously, aircraft had to backtrack down the runway which caused a bottleneck and reduced the number of operations at the airport per hour.

Adisucipto International Airport is one of the busiest in the Java–Bali region. It has faced a growing trend in passengers over the past decade. The table below is based on data from PT Angkasa Pura I, who is responsible for management of the airport.[5]

• On 13 January 1985, a Vickers Viscount PK-RVT of Mandala Airlines was damaged beyond economic repair after it made a belly landing.[6]
• On 13 January 1995, Garuda Indonesia's Boeing 737-300 PK-GWF overran the runway by about 50 meters due to the runway being wet with rain. There were no casualties.
• On 7 March 2007, Garuda Indonesia Flight 200, a Boeing 737-400 PK-GZC, came in too fast, bounced twice, overran the runway and burst into flames upon landing from Jakarta. 21 passengers and a crew member were killed in this accident. This was the first fatal incident at Adisucipto Airport/AFB.
• On 20 December 2011, Sriwijaya Air Flight 230, operated by Boeing 737-300 PK-CKM, overran the runway as it was not on a stabilized landing criteria and came in too fast. There were no casualties.[7]
• On 6 November 2015, Batik Air flight 6380, a Boeing 737-9GP(ER) PK-LBO, overran the runway on landing by 100 meters which caused the nose gear to collapse. No casualties were reported.
• On 1 February 2017, Garuda Indonesia Flight 258, a Boeing 737-800 registered PK-GNK overran the runway. All 123 passengers on board survived.[8]
• On 23 October 2020, the landing gear of Citilink Flight 1107, an ATR 72-600, is struck by a kite during the landing at the airport. The aircraft is not damaged.[9]

Beside those accidents, there are some other minor incidents mainly because of landing in rain but without any casualties.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Adisutjipto International Airport.

• Adisutjipto International Airport Official Website
• Airport information for WARJ at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.