Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport

Colonial era

Halim Perdanakusuma Airport is the first airfield in the city of Jakarta, which was formerly known as Batavia. It was built around 1924 and was originally named Tjililitan Airfield (Dutch: Vliegveld Tjililitan), after its borough.^[4] On November 1, 1928, Tjililitan airfield began operations under a Dutch airline in the Dutch East Indies, the Koninklijke Nederlandsch-Indische Luchtvaart Maatschappij (KNILM), which served routes from Batavia to Bandung, as well as from Batavia to Semarang and Surabaya. A year later, the name Tjililitan Air Base gained international recognition after the Dutch airline KLM set a record for intercontinental flight using a Fokker F.VII aircraft. The flight covered a distance of 14,500 km from the Netherlands to Batavia in 10 days, carrying only four passengers.^[4] In addition to its role as a civilian airfield, it also served as a base for the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force (ML-KNIL).^[5] When the Pacific Theater of World War II broke out in 1941, the airfield became home to Air Group III (vliegtuiggroep), which consisted of three divisions (afdelingen).^[5] Each division was equipped with nine Martin B-10 bombers, plus two additional aircraft held in reserve as spares.^[5] In preparation for the Japanese attack on the Dutch East Indies, the airfield was expanded to accommodate additional military aircraft.^[5]

On 25 February 1942, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service launched an air raid on Batavia, with Tjililitan Airfield as one of its targets. At the time, eight Hawker Hurricanes from No. 605 Squadron RAuxAF and No. 242 Squadron RAF were stationed at the airfield to defend the city.^[6] On the ground, the airfield was protected by units of the British Army and the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL).^[6] Elements of the KNIL’s A. I Ld. section and the British Army’s 242 Battery (48th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment) operated a combined anti-aircraft defence consisting of two 2 cm and eight 4 cm guns. During the attack, they engaged approximately eight Japanese aircraft (likely a mix of Navy fighters and a C5M reconnaissance aircraft) that were involved in the raid.^[6] In addition, British troops used Bren guns to fire at low-flying aircraft conducting strafing runs against anti-aircraft positions along the airfield perimeter. According to reports, two Japanese fighters were hit by fire from 242 Battery personnel. One British soldier, firing from a trench with his rifle, was struck in the head by machine-gun fire and killed, becoming the only recorded casualty of the attack.^[6] Eventually, the aircraft were withdrawn to Bandung after Batavia was declared an open city.^[7] Despite initially fierce resistance, the airfield was soon overrun by Japanese forces.^[8]

During the Japanese occupation (1942–1945), the airfield was seized by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and repurposed as a military base.^[9] Numerous Japanese aircraft, particularly Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters, operated from Tjililitan in support of Pacific War operations against Allied forces.^[9]

After Japan’s surrender in 1945, control of the airfield was transferred back to returning Dutch authorities, who subsequently rebuilt and reactivated it.^[10] The airfield then reverted to its original function as a base for the ML-KNIL throughout the Indonesian National Revolution. During this period, it served as a staging area for Dutch military operations against Indonesian forces, including Operation Kraai.^[11] Between 1946 and 1948, the airfield has been associated in some historical accounts with incidents of extrajudicial violence, in which elements of indigenous KNIL units were reportedly involved in the killing of civilians in the surrounding area, allegedly under orders from their Dutch superiors.^[10]

Post-independence era

On June 20, 1950, the Netherlands officially handed over the air base to the Indonesian government. It was subsequently taken over by the Indonesian Air Force (AURI) and designated as a military air base under the 1st Air Force Operations Command.^[4] Several facilities were transferred to the Air Force Chief of Staff at the time, Soerjadi Soerjadarma, including buildings, hangars, offices, warehouses, housing, and a hospital, along with two air squadrons—20th Squadron and 18th Bomber Squadron. Three former ML-KNIL hangars were repurposed to house 17th Air Squadron, 31st Air Squadron, and 21st Technical Squadron.^[4] On August 17, 1952, Tjililitan Air Base was officially renamed Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in honor of Abdul Halim Perdanakusuma, an Indonesian Air Force officer and airman who died in the line of duty during the Indonesian National Revolution and was later recognized as a national hero of Indonesia.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the airfield continued to serve as a base of the Indonesian Air Force.^[12] It hosted several squadrons, including the 2nd Squadron, which at the time operated C-47 Dakota aircraft and participated in Operation Trikora, Indonesia’s joint military campaign in the early 1960s aimed at integrating Dutch-controlled Western New Guinea into the Republic of Indonesia.^[12]

During the 30 September Incident of 1965, Halim Air Base served as the central base for the coup plotters of the 30 September Movement. Members of the Tjakrabirawa Regiment assembled there prior to launching the coup, reportedly with the support of the Indonesian Air Force.^[13] The bodies of seven Indonesian Army officers were discarded by the plotters in Lubang Buaya, situated just south of the airbase. After the failed coup attempt, President Sukarno sought refuge at Halim Air Base before fleeing to Bogor for safety. In the early hours of 2 October 1965, Indonesian Army forces, including units from Kostrad and RPKAD, launched an assault on the airbase.^[14] After a brief skirmish with rebel troops, the Army successfully secured the airbase. Subsequently, the Army blockaded the runway, preventing Indonesian Air Force aircraft from landing. As a result, many of these aircraft were diverted to Atang Senjaya Air Base in Bogor.^[15]

Contemporary history

In addition to serving as a military airbase, the airport began handling international flights in 1974, easing the burden on the busy Kemayoran Airport.^[16] At that time, all international flights were relocated to Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport, while Kemayoran continued to serve only domestic flights.^[17] Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport remained a vital gateway for international travel to Jakarta until the opening of Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Tangerang in 1985. Following the closure of Kemayoran in 1985, Halim Perdanakusuma became Jakarta's secondary airport, primarily accommodating charter flights, general aviation, and serving as a base for flying schools for the next 29 years. In the 1990s, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation designated Halim as a hub for non-scheduled flights and scheduled services using aircraft with a capacity of fewer than 100 passengers.

In 2013, to ease congestion at Soekarno–Hatta Airport, the Halim airport authority announced that it would give 60 flight slots per hour for scheduled flights and, for the first time, the 2013 Haj pilgrims used this airport.^[18] Batik Air initially was the largest user, taking 32 slots from 74 slots available for all airlines a day.^[19] Since 2014, the airport has served domestic scheduled flights with a capacity up to 2.2 million passengers per year from about 200,000 passengers in 2013.^[20]

In early November 2021, Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation announced they would close the airport temporarily for public use for the next nine months for renovation. Domestic flights would be moved to Soekarno–Hatta International Airport or Pondok Cabe Airport. This decision was made based on the evaluation of Halim's aging infrastructure, like the runways and terminals, and the impact to the airport's quality of services.^[21] The airport was closed from March to September 2022 to allow for renovation works.^[22]

Passenger

Notes:

Bus

DAMRI buses operate from the airport, providing connections to nearby cities such as Bogor and Bekasi.^[40] For travel within Jakarta, the airport is accessible via the Gereja Oikumene stop on the JakLingko JAK20 corridor , located just a three-minute walk from the airport terminal.^[40]

Taxis

Within the airport terminal, only official taxis authorized by the Indonesian Air Force authority in Halim Perdanakusuma Airport are permitted to operate. This policy has sparked some controversy, as these taxis are often considered overpriced by passengers.^[41] However, outside the terminal, travelers can easily find alternative options such as Bluebird taxis and app-based ride-hailing services like Gojek, Grab, and Maxim.^[40]

Rail

The airport is located near the Halim railway station complex, which includes stations for both the Jakarta–Bandung high-speed railway operated by Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) and the Jabodebek LRT Bekasi Line. An airport shuttle bus is available to provide convenient transportation between the airport and the station complex.^[42]

An express train service is now under planning stage to connect Soekarno–Hatta International Airport with Halim Perdanakusuma Airport. Completion of this line is originally expected to be completed at the very earliest in 2019.^[43] At first this project was solely planned to be built as an 33-kilometer (21 mi) express line between Manggarai Station at South Jakarta and Soekarno–Hatta International Airport via Angke and Pluit, which would be a public–private partnership project.^[44][45] Later the route was extended from Manggarai to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, which is in East Jakarta. The 33 kilometer project, proposed as Halim-Cawang-Manggarai-Tanah Abang-Sudirman-Pluit Terminal 2 and 3 SHIA stretch route, has been proposed to include a combination of surface-underground-elevated tracks. The express train is projected to take 30 minutes to connect the two main airports that serve the Greater Jakarta area.^[46][47]