Singosari Airfield

Juanda International Airport is an international joint-use airport located in Sedati District, Sidoarjo, Indonesia. It is now the third busiest airport in Indonesia (after Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta and Denpasar's Ngurah Rai). This airport is located approximately from Downtown Surabaya and serves the Surabaya metropolitan area, the metropolitan area of Surabaya plus extended urban area. Juanda International Airport is currently operated by InJourney Airports, formerly Angkasa Pura I. The airport takes its name after Djuanda Kartawidjaja (1911–1963), the last Prime Minister of Indonesia who had suggested development of this airport. In 2019, the airport served about 500 aircraft per day.

Currently, Juanda International Airport is the hub of Batik Air, focus city of Garuda Indonesia, and the operating base of Citilink, Lion Air, and Super Air Jet along with Jakarta's Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. Juanda International Airport will become one of the main airports in Indonesia for ASEAN Open skies.

In 2014, Juanda International Airport becomes the world's tenth best in Airport Service Quality by Airport Council International among 79 airports with passengers capacity between 5-15 million a year. In Q1 2015, the airport becomes the world's seventh best in Airport Service Quality by ACI.

In addition to serving as a commercial airport, it also hosts Naval Air Station Juanda, a major Class A facility and the headquarters of the Indonesian Navy's Naval Aviation Center (Puspenerbal). The base houses several squadrons, including the 100th Anti-Submarine Warfare Air Squadron, 200th Flight Training Air Squadron, 400th Tactical Transport Helicopter Squadron, 600th Tactical Transport Air Squadron, 700th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron, and the 800th Maritime Patrol Air Squadron. The airport also accommodates Muljono Air Force Base, a Type B facility of the Indonesian Air Force.

History

Background

Before the opening of Juanda Airport, the Indonesian Navy's Naval Aviation Center was based at Morokrembangan Naval Air Base, located near the Port of Tanjung Perak in Surabaya. This base, built in 1922 during the Dutch colonial era, had previously served as a facility for the Netherlands Naval Aviation Service of the Royal Netherlands Navy. In addition to its military function, Morokrembangan also accommodated passenger flights and served as Surabaya's main commercial airport. However, as air traffic increased, Morokrembangan became increasingly congested. The base could not be expanded due to its limited land area and its proximity to the city, which hindered further development.

In the early 1960s, as Operation Trikora was being planned—a military campaign to reclaim Western New Guinea from Dutch control—the Indonesian Navy recognized the need for a new airbase to support the operation and house its aircraft. In response, the Indonesian government approved the construction of the airbase near Surabaya, East Java. Several sites were considered, including Gresik, Raci (Pasuruan), and Sedati (Sidoarjo). After conducting a site survey, Sedati was selected due to its proximity to Surabaya and its expansive, flat terrain, which was ideal for building a large-scale airbase with room for future expansion.

Construction

The construction of the airbase, known as Project Waru, was Indonesia's first airfield development since independence. Prior to this, existing airbases were inherited from the Dutch colonial era and had only been repaired or upgraded. The project was managed by the Waru Project Supervisory Team (TPPW), representing the Indonesian government, and two French companies: Compagnie d’Ingénieurs et Techniciens (CITE) as the consultant and Société de Construction des Batignolles as the contractor. Under the terms of the contract, the project was to be completed in four years, from 1960 to 1964.

To accommodate the construction of a major airbase with a runway measuring 3,000 meters by 45 meters, the Indonesian government acquired about 2,400 hectares of land. This land included a mix of dry land, rice fields, and swampland. A massive volume of construction materials was required, particularly sand and stone. Sand was sourced from the Porong River, while stone was quarried from Mount Pandaan and transported to Waru by hundreds of project trucks. The estimated total volume of materials was around 11.2 million cubic meters, or 1.8 million tons. On 22 September 1963, the runway was declared operational, marking the completion of the project a full seven months ahead of plan. The following day, a flight of four Fairey Gannet aircraft from the Indonesian Navy made the first official landing at Djoeanda Airbase.

During the construction, the project faced a financial crisis. At one point, Batignolles, the contractor, threatened to withdraw from the project, escalating the issue to President Sukarno. In response, Sukarno issued a mandate to Djoeanda Kartawidjaja, who was serving as Prime Minister during the Guided Democracy era. Djoeanda was tasked with resolving the financial crisis and ensuring the successful completion of the project. Djoeanda arrived at the Waru airbase on 15 October 1963 aboard a Convair 990 to oversee the project's continuation. His efforts were instrumental in completing the project, and in recognition of his role, the airbase was named “Djoeanda.” The Djoeanda Airbase was officially inaugurated by President Sukarno on 12 August 1964.

Operation of civilian flights

As the construction of the airbase progressed, Garuda Indonesia considered relocating its flights from the inadequate Morokrembangan Airport to the newly developed Djoeanda Airbase. However, since Djoeanda was initially designed solely for military use, it lacked the necessary facilities for civilian flights. To address this, a temporary terminal was created by converting the former Batignolles warehouse. This marked the beginning of the gradual transfer of Surabaya's airport operations to Djoeanda, and Morokrembangan Airport was eventually closed sometime later in the 1960s. On December 7, 1981, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of the Ministry of Transportation took over the management of the airport. Then, on January 1, 1985, the management of the commercial airport was transferred to Perum Angkasa Pura I, later known simply as Angkasa Pura I, and currently referred to as InJourney Airport.

As civilian flight traffic increased, the need for a dedicated terminal for domestic and international flights became apparent. As a result, a new terminal was constructed to accommodate the growing demand. On December 24, 1990, Juanda Airport was officially designated as an international airport with the opening of its international terminal. Since December 1987, the airport had already been serving flights to destinations such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Manila. KLM began operating flights to Surabaya in April 1996, offering service to Amsterdam via Singapore on Boeing 747s. However, the route was discontinued in February 1997.

To accommodate the growing number of passengers and increasing air traffic, a new terminal covering an area of 51,500 square meters was inaugurated on 7 November 2006. The facility was initially designed to handle between 6 to 8 million passengers annually. On 14 February 2014, another new terminal began operations on the southern side of the airport, across the runway, at the site of the former terminal which had been demolished. Covering an area of 50,000 square meters, the new facility has a capacity to handle up to 6.5 million passengers annually. It was subsequently designated as Terminal 2, while the existing terminal is to be known as Terminal 1.

Terminals

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 was officially inaugurated on 7 November 2006 as part of a broader effort to accommodate the growing number of air passengers at Juanda Airport. The development of the terminal infrastructure required an investment of approximately Rp 1.2 trillion. Funding for the project was sourced in part from a ¥23.2 billion loan provided by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), supplemented by Rp. 236.4 billion from the Indonesian state budget (APBN). The terminal spans 51,500 square meters and is built across three floors. It is equipped with 11 jet bridges to facilitate passenger boarding and disembarkation. The architectural design of Terminal 1 incorporates traditional elements from Sumbanese high-hat roofs, blended with Javanese- Malay architectural styles, reflecting local cultural influences. Terminal 1 exclusively serves all domestic flights operating at Juanda Airport. The terminal is divided into two sub-terminals: Terminal 1A, which handles departures, and Terminal 1B, which is designated for arrivals. To improve access and connectivity, Terminal 1 is directly linked to the Waru–Juanda Toll Road, which commenced operations in 2008 and provides a more efficient route between the airport and Surabaya as well as surrounding areas.

A major expansion of Terminal 1 was completed in October 2021, increasing its annual passenger capacity to 8.7 million. The terminal’s total area was expanded to 91,700 square meters, with commercial space growing from 6,250 m² to 7,680 m². The waiting area was also enlarged to 19,940 m² from the previous 16,340 m² to enhance passenger comfort. Two children's play areas were added to better serve family travelers. The expansion included upgrades to passenger circulation infrastructure, with the number of escalators increased from six to eight, elevators from six to 16, and travelators from six to 19. The number of departure gates was also raised from 12 to 14, improving the terminal’s overall operational efficiency.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 was constructed on the site of the former terminal building, which was demolished to make way for the new facility. Located to the south of Terminal 1 and across the runway, Terminal 2 officially opened on 14 February 2014. The project was completed at a cost of approximately Rp 900 billion. In contrast to Terminal 1, which incorporates traditional Indonesian architectural elements, Terminal 2 features a sleek, modern design. Covering a total area of 49,500 square meters (533,000 square feet) over three floors, the terminal is equipped with eight aerobridges and is capable of handling up to six million passengers annually.

Terminal 2 houses 40 check-in counters with baggage handling facilities and an additional nine counters for passengers without checked baggage, as well as a security checkpoint. Approximately 20 percent of the terminal’s area—about 9,787.65 square meters—is allocated for commercial purposes, including space for retail tenants, airline offices, and ticketing counters. The terminal’s apron can accommodate up to 17 aircraft, serving both domestic and international flights. A designated vehicle parking area is available for passenger pick-up and can hold up to 5,000 vehicles.

Terminal 2 currently handles all international flights. Initially, some domestic flights operated from Terminal 2, including those by Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia AirAsia, and Pelita Air. However, in 2023, these airlines were moved to Terminal 1.

Development

On 25 February 2015, Indonesia President Joko Widodo agreed to develop Juanda Airport City, including an additional two runways and an integrated connection between Gubeng railway station and the airport via an elevated railway. About of land have been prepared for the expansion of the airport - where in will be used to construct two additional runways, and Juanda Airport's Terminal 3, while the remaining area will be used to construct the Airport City and the Ultimate Terminal Building.

Terminal 3 will be predicted to handle 62.5 million passengers per year, with the overload Terminal 1 and 2, total passenger handling capacity will increase to 75 million passengers per year. Besides building Terminal 3, PT Angkasa Pura I will also be adding two new runways. The runways will be around 3850 meters long and 60% of it will be over the sea. If construction began with no delay it is predicted to open in 2019.

The new area for Juanda Airport is estimated to be and will be located in the northern part of the airport. Construction of two runways by will require the reclamation of about stretch of land along Java's northern coastline. The land acquisition is expected to be completed by 2018. Development consists of three phases;
*First phase is the confirmation of the masterplan, land acquisition, reclamation for runway 2 and construction of runway 2.
*Second phase is the development of Terminal 1, reclamation for runway 3, construction of runway 3 and accessibility from toll roads and terminal.
*Third phase will be building an Ultimate Terminal and airport city supporting infrastructure.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Notes:

Cargo

Traffic and Statistics

Traffic

In 2010, the airport handled 11 million passengers, although the capacity was 6 million passengers and the air traffic controller radar system is only able to track 21 aircraft per hour, but at peak hour handled 40 to 45 aircraft landing and taking off.

Statistics

Ground transport

Road

Juanda Airport is connected to Waru-Juanda Toll Road to Surabaya, which is about from the airport. DAMRI buses are provided by the local government to deliver passengers to nearby Purabaya Bus Terminal, Bunder bus terminal in Gresik, and Kertajaya bus terminal in Mojokerto. Fixed tariff taxis are available to various destinations in Surabaya and surrounding areas including Malang, Blitar, Jember, and Tulungagung.

Gallery

File:Juanda4.jpg, Terminal 1 - 2nd floor
File:Cathay juanda.jpg, A Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300 at Juanda
File:Juanda Airport Apron.jpg, On the apron, Saudi Airlines Boeing 747-300 refueling and reloading to serve Indonesian Hajj pilgrims to Mecca
File:Valuair juanda1.jpg, Valuair Airbus A320-200 arriving from Singapore
File:SOCATA TB-9 Tampico Indonesian Navy.jpg, Two Indonesian Navy SOCATA TB-9 Tampico at Juanda

Accidents and incidents

*21 February 2007: Adam Air Flight 172, a Boeing 737-300 (registered PK-KKV) flying from Jakarta to Surabaya made a hard landing at Juanda International Airport, resulting in structural failure of the aircraft.
*1 February 2014: Lion Air Flight 361, a Boeing 737-900ER (registered PK-LFH) from Balikpapan Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport to Juanda International Airport landed hard and bounced four times on the runway, causing a tail strike and substantial damage to the plane. There were no fatalities, but two passengers were seriously injured and three others had minor injuries.

References

External links

PT. Angkasa Pura I: Juanda Airport


Juanda International Airport website
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{{Portal bar, Indonesia, Aviation

Surabaya
Transport in East Java
Transport in Sidoarjo
Airports in East Java
Airports in Sidoarjo
Airports established in 1964
1964 establishments in Indonesia
Military installations of Indonesia
Indonesian Air Force bases