Radin Inten II Airport

Radin Inten II Airport , formerly known as Branti Airport, is a domestic airport serving the city of Bandar Lampung, the capital of Lampung Province, Indonesia. The airport is named after Radin Inten II (1834–1858), a nobleman from Lampung and a national hero of Indonesia. Although it primarily serves Bandar Lampung, the airport is actually located in Natar, South Lampung Regency, approximately 23 km (14.3 miles) northwest of the city center. It serves as one of the main gateways to Bandar Lampung and the broader Lampung Province, offering domestic flights to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, as well as to other cities such as Batam, Medan, and Bengkulu. The airport previously operated international flights to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but these were discontinued shortly after their launch. Due to the absence of sustained international services, the airport's international status was officially revoked in 2024.

History

Formerly known as Branti Airport—named after the village where it is located—the facility was originally built by Japanese forces in 1942 during the occupation of the Dutch East Indies, as part of their military operations in World War II against the Allied forces. It served as a base for various Japanese aircraft and warplanes. After Indonesia declared its independence, the airport was taken over by the Indonesian Air Force and used exclusively for military purposes, without any commercial flight operations. In 1955, the airport’s management was transferred to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation after the Air Force relocated its base to Astra Ksetra Air Force Base in Menggala, North Lampung Regency. Commercial flights began in 1956 when Garuda Indonesia launched its first route between Jakarta and Bandar Lampung. In 1963, ownership of Branti Airport was officially transferred to the regional government of Lampung, which in turn handed it over to the Ministry of Transportation in 1964. The construction of the new runway and apron was completed in 1976, and the airport was officially inaugurated in June of that year with the arrival of a Fokker F28 aircraft.

Between 1984 and 1987, the runway was extended by 330 meters, increasing its total length to 1,850 meters. On May 22, 1995, a new terminal was completed and inaugurated by the then Minister of Transportation, Haryanto Dhanutirto. In 1997, the name Branti Airport was officially changed to Radin Inten II Airport, in honor of Radin Inten II—a Lampungese nobleman who led resistance against Dutch colonization in the 19th century and was later recognized as a national hero of Indonesia.

In 2016, a major expansion project was undertaken at the airport to accommodate the growing volume of passenger and air traffic. This included the construction of a larger passenger terminal and its relevant infrastructures as well as a new four-story parking building. The expansion was completed in 2019 and was inaugurated by then-President Joko Widodo on February 6, 2019. The total cost of the airport’s expansion and development amounted to approximately 467.6 billion rupiah. In the same year, the management of the airport was transferred from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to Angkasa Pura II, which is now known as InJourney Airports.

In 2019, the airport was designated as an international airport, with its first international flight launched on 4 May 2019—a route to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, operated by Citilink. However, the service was discontinued shortly afterward. The airport was originally intended to serve as a Hajj embarkation point, offering seasonal flights to Jeddah for pilgrims traveling to Mecca. Despite this, there have been no regular international flights since 2019, and on 2 April 2024, the Ministry of Transportation officially revoked the airport's international status due to the absence of active international services, although it stated that the airport could still be used for Hajj operations if necessary.

Facilities and development

A new terminal was constructed between 2017 and 2019 as part of a major airport expansion project aimed at significantly increasing capacity and enhancing passenger service quality. The new terminal nearly triples the size of the old facility, expanding from 3,709 square meters to 9,434 square meters, and has a capacity of 3 million passengers annually. The new terminal is also equipped with two jet bridges. Other developments included the extension of the runway to 3,000 meters by 45 meters, allowing it to accommodate wide-body aircraft, the construction of two taxiways each measuring 123 meters by 23 meters, and an apron spanning 565 meters by 110 meters with 12 aircraft parking stands. Additionally, a four-story parking facility covering 2,200 square meters was built, providing space for up to 700 vehicles.

Airlines and destinations

Traffic and statistics

Traffic

Statistics

Gallery

File:Radin Inten II Airport.jpg, Exterior of the terminal prior to the latest expansion
File:Radin Inten II.JPG, The former terminal, which is already demolished

Accidents and incidents

* On 7 September 1974, Garuda Indonesia Flight 126, a domestic flight from Jakarta to Bandar Lampung operated by a Fokker F27 'Semeru', overshot the runway while attempting to land in heavy rain and strong winds. Of the 36 people on board, 28 were killed, including three crew members.
* On 20 March 1982, a Garuda Indonesian Fokker F28 operating a scheduled passenger flight from Jakarta to Bandar Lampung overran the runway while landing at Branti Airport during heavy rainfall. The aircraft came to a stop approximately 700 metres beyond the runway in a field and subsequently caught fire. All occupants on board were killed in the accident.
* On 26 November 2017, Wings Air Flight 1286, an ATR 72-500 operating a domestic flight from Bandung to Bandar Lampung, experienced a tire burst upon landing at Radin Inten II Airport. No injuries were reported among the occupants.
* On 20 December 2020, Lion Air Flight 173, a Boeing 737-900ER operating a domestic flight from Batam to Bandar Lampung, skidded off the runway upon landing in heavy rain at Radin Inten II Airport. All 125 passengers and 7 crew members escaped without injury.

See also

* List of airports in Indonesia

References

External links

*
*

{{authority control

Airports in Sumatra
Buildings and structures in Lampung
Transport in Lampung
Airports established in 1942