Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport is an airport serving the city of

Palembang Palembang (, Palembang: ''Pelémbang'', Mandarin: 巨港 (Jùgǎng), Hokkien: 舊港 (Kū-káng), Jawi: ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River in the ea ...

South Sumatra South Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the southeast of the island of Sumatra. The capital and largest city of the province is the city of Palembang. The province borders the provinces of Jambi to the north ...

, Indonesia, and surrounding areas. The airport is located 10 km from Palembang’s city center, in the Talang Betutu district. Previously known as Talang Betutu Airport, it was renamed in honor of

Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II (1767–1852) was the 8th Sultan of the Palembang Sultanate from 1804–1821. His parents were Sultan Muhammad Bahauddin and Ratu Agung Al-Haddad. He is now regarded as a National Hero of Indonesia National Hero ...

(1767–1852), the last sultan of Palembang and a revered

national hero of Indonesia National Hero of Indonesia () is the highest-level Orders, decorations, and medals of Indonesia, title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual de ...

. The airport is the primary gateway to Palembang and South Sumatra, offering flights to key cities across Indonesia, including

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

Surabaya Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...

Medan Medan ( , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sumatra. The nearby Strait of Malacca, Port of Belawan, and Kualanamu International Airport make Medan a regional hub and multi ...

, and

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

. The airport previously offered international flights to

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. However, these services were suspended during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, and in 2024, the airport's international status was temporarily revoked due to the absence of international flights. The status was reinstated the following year. In addition to handling commercial flights, the airport also hosts the Sri Mulyono Herlambang Air Force Base, a Type B facility of the

Indonesian Air Force The Indonesian Air Force (, sometimes shortened as IDAF / IdAF) is the Air force, aerial branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. The Indonesian Air Force is headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia, and is headed by the Chief of Staff of th ...

. The airbase is situated directly across the runway from the passenger terminal.

History

Long before

Indonesia's independence The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence (, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 Japan Standard Time, Tokyo Standard Time on Friday 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of ...

, in 1920, the land that now houses Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport was an empty plot, once part of a native plantation. At that time, the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

government acquired the land through the Palembang Maatschappij. Around the same period, a Dutch pilot was reported to be flying to Indonesia and intended to land in Palembang. The former plantation land was then transformed into the city’s first airfield, known as Talang Betutu Airport. The Dutch pilot, Jan Pieterszoon, subsequently landed a small

Fokker Fokker (; ) was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer that operated from 1912 to 1996. The company was founded by the Dutch aviator Anthony Fokker and became famous during World War I for its fighter aircraft. During its most successful period in the 19 ...

plane from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

in Palembang. The airport played a crucial role in the war efforts during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In January 1942, the

American-British-Dutch-Australian Command The American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command, or ABDACOM, was the short-lived supreme command for all Allied forces in South East Asia in early 1942, during the Pacific War in World War II. The command consisted of the forces of Austra ...

(ABDACOM) decided to consolidate Allied air forces in

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

, establishing two key airfields near Palembang: Pangkalan Benteng, also known as 'P1' (the current airport), and a secret airbase at

Prabumulih Prabumulih is a city in South Sumatra, Indonesia. It was originally part of Muara Enim Regency, from which it was separated to become an independent city on 21 June 2001. It has an area of 447.31 km² and had a population of 161,814 at the ...

(then Praboemoelih), referred to as 'P2.' The airport was a significant strategic asset for both the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

and the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, who considered it a primary target alongside the

Royal Dutch Shell Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company, headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New ...

oil refineries at Pladju (Pladjoe), located just miles from Palembang. The Japanese viewed the airport as essential for reinforcing and resupplying their forces, and as a base for further advancing into northern Sumatra and

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

. In February 1942, during the

Battle of Palembang The Battle of Palembang was a battle of the Pacific War, Pacific theatre of World War II. It occurred near Palembang, on Sumatra, on 13–15 February 1942. The Royal Dutch Shell oil refineries at nearby Plaju (then Pladjoe) were the major obje ...

, Japanese forces captured the airport as part of their broader invasion of the Dutch East Indies. Following their takeover, the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

rebuilt the airport between 1942 and 1943. On January 1, 1950, following Indonesia's independence, Talang Betutu Airport was opened for civilian use, serving as a gateway to the region by air. The airport was later renamed Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport. The name was chosen in honor of the Indonesian hero

, who led the Sultanate of Palembang Darussalam from 1803 to 1819. During his leadership, Badaruddin II played a pivotal role in resisting the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...

(VOC), which was invading Palembang at the time. Effective April 1, 1991, the airport is officially managed by the Management of Perum Angkasa Pura II. On January 2, 1992 Management Perum Angkasa Pura II changed its status into PT (Persero) Angkasa Pura II. When South Sumatra Province was chosen as the host of PON XVI in 2004, the government sought to enlarge the capacity of the airport as well as change the status into an international airport. The current terminal building of the airport was inaugurated on September 27, 2005. The airport was expanded again in 2017 to accommodate the

2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games (), and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, were a Asia, continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 August to 2 September 201 ...

. In 2024, the Indonesian

Ministry of Transportation A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

briefly revoked the airport's international status due to the absence of international flights; however, it was reinstated in 2025.

Facilities and development

Following its development, the airport became an international hub capable of accommodating wide-body aircraft as of September 27, 2005. The development project began on September 18, 2003, with a total cost of Rp. 366.7 billion, funded by a loan from the Japan International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (JIBIC) amounting to Rp. 251.9 billion, and matching funds from the state budget totaling Rp. 114.8 billion. The project included an extension of the runway from 300 meters by 60 meters to 3,000 meters by 60 meters, as well as the construction of a 20,000-square-meter parking area with capacity for 1,000 vehicles. Additionally, a three-floor passenger terminal was built, spanning 13,000 square meters and capable of accommodating 1,250 passengers. The airport also features equipped aerobridges, a cargo terminal, and various support buildings covering an area of 1,900 square meters. As a result of this expansion, Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport can now accommodate aircraft such as the

Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body airliner developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus began developing larger A300 derivatives in the mid–1970s, giving rise to the A330 twinjet as well as the Airbus A340 quadjet, and launched both designs along ...

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...

Boeing 777 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...

, and other wide-body models. The airport was developed once again for

, which started in late 2016 and finished by 2017. Passenger capacity of the terminal, which has a capacity of 3.4 million passengers per year, increased to 4 million passengers and check in counters increased to 43. The aircraft parking apron can accommodate 19 aircraft. The terminal area was expanded from 34,000 square meters to 115,000 square meters. Passenger capacity of the airport will be gradually increase to accommodate 9 million passengers annually.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Notes:

Traffic and statistics

Traffic

Statistics

Ground transportation

Bus

DAMRI Damri or DAMRI may refer to: * Perum DAMRI DAMRI Public Corporation (; was , ) is an Indonesian state-owned enterprises of Indonesia, state-owned bus operator. Under further development as a public company, the name DAMRI is still used as a br ...

intercity buses operate from the airport, providing connections to various cities in South Sumatra, including

Baturaja Baturaja is a town and the administrative capital of Ogan Komering Ulu Regency in South Sumatra, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and P ...

, and

Muara Enim Muara Enim Regency is a regency of South Sumatra Province, Indonesia. The regency seat is the town of Muara Enim. The city of Prabumulih is an administrative body separating the main part of Muara Enim to the south of the city from a smaller part ...

Taxi

Various taxi services are available at Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport to transport passengers to destinations in Palembang and nearby cities. Official airport taxi operators include Balido Taxi, Blue Bird, Primkopau Taxi, and Starcab Taxi. The initial fare (flag fall) is Rp 7,000, with an additional charge of Rp 5,000 per kilometer. These taxi services operate 24 hours a day. In addition, passengers can also opt for ride-hailing services such as Grab and

Gojek PT Gojek Indonesia (stylized in all lower case and stylized ''j'' as goȷek, formerly styled as GO-JEK) is an Indonesian on-demand multi-service platform and digital payment technology group based in Jakarta. Gojek was first established in Ind ...

. Fares for these online taxis vary depending on the travel distance.

Rail

Anticipating traffic congestion during the period of

, the local government built the Palembang Light Rail Transit, which connects the airport to

Jakabaring Sport City Jakabaring Sport City ''(sic)'', also known as Jakabaring Sports Complex () is an integrated sports facility complex in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia. The complex is located 5 kilometers southeast of Palembang city center, across the Musi Ri ...

. Only some of the stations were opened in time for the games. The remaining stations opened on 18 October 2017. It is the first practical modern light rapid system to operate in Indonesia. The

Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport LRT station Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport Station or SMB II International Airport Station is a light rail station, station of the LRT Line 1 (Palembang Light Rail Transit), Palembang LRT Line 1 in Indonesia. It is located within the Sultan ...

serves the airport, which is connected to the airport terminal by a skybridfe. The LRT's fare separates passengers who ride to and from the airport and those who do not, with the former paying a higher fare of Rp 10,000 while the latter pay Rp 5,000.

Gallery

File:Batik Air PK-LUW.jpg, A

Batik Air PT Batik Air Indonesia, operating as Batik Air, is an Indonesian scheduled airline headquartered at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta. Established in 2012 as the full-service division of the Lion Air Group, Batik Air conducted it ...

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first membe ...

landing in Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport File:PesawatdiSMB2IA.jpg, View of the airport in 2006

Accidents and incidents

* October 6, 1937 - The

KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ),

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...

, named "Specht" with registration PH-ALS from

, crashed immediately after takeoff at Palembang Airport,

Netherlands East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

. Three crew members and one passenger died. The co-pilot and seven passengers survived. A connecting rod in the No. 1 engine had failed, causing a fuel-fed fire. The pilot cut the fuel flow to the engine, but the aircraft was unable to gain height on one engine, leading to its crash. * On September 24, 1975, Garuda Indonesia Flight 150 crashed on approach to Talang Betutu Airport. The accident, which was attributed to poor weather and fog, killed 25 of the 61 passengers and one person on the ground.

Notes

References

External links

Official website

PT Angkasa Pura II website
{{authority control Transport in Palembang Airports in South Sumatra