Kemayoran Airport: Former Gateway to Indonesia
Iconic for the Old & Senior Generation, Oblivious For the Younger Ones: The Once Bustling Entrance to Indonesia — Kemayoran Airport in Jakarta — is now transformed into a new planned city and increasingly hard to recognize Its former location. As the taste of Nostalgia for all that’s Old & Vintage is now the rage, let’s dive in at Indonesia’s 1st Airport!
As The 1920s ushered in an age of new traveling methods — especially Airplanes — Countries rushed to Equip the latest technologies, Colonies Included. Travel between The Netherlands and Its Colony — The Dutch East Indies — were very Time Consuming using Ships. The Airplane offers a quicker Method of Transport From Amsterdam to Batavia, with the ultimate goal of better connecting the archipelago from Batavia as a hub.
The Dutch Colonial Authorities decided to build the Airfield at an Empty Swampy Marsh east of Batavia’s (now Jakarta) then-City centre, but near a Railway to accommodate both the Construction process & Transportation Access. Completed in June 1940, Kemayoran was originally designed for an Airfield — before being converted into an International Airport — and Military Usage as the Threat of War increased. As The Japanese Occupied Dutch East Indies for about Three Years — March 1942 through August 1945 — Kemayoran Airport became a staging point for Warcraft Planes.
Post War-of-Independence-Indonesia was now in full Control of Kemayoran Airport and made full use of it; Using Garuda Indonesian Airways (now: Garuda Indonesia) as the National Flag Carrier for International Routes & Selected Domestic (Large Cities) Routes. For the rest of Domestic Routes + Small Airfields that other Airlines wouldn’t — the (now defunct) Merpati Nusantara Airways served them — earning the nickname “Maskapai Perintis”. A construction of a new International terminal by Indonesia’s 1st President — Soekarno — was to further accomodate Foreign Tourists and as Part of His Grand Plan of Proyek Mercusuar beautify & showcase the capital city of Indonesia to the world.
Under Soeharto’s Orde Baru, Indonesia’s Foreign Trade had Increased exponentially with Work-Related Air Traffic naturally increased as well. By the early 1970s, Kemayoran Airport in Jakarta — Along with Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan — reached new records in Air Traffic. To deal with congestion at Kemayoran Airport, most of the International routes were transferred to the-upgraded Halim Perdanakusumah Airfield in East Jakarta. Relocation of Jakarta’s Main Airport had to be done. After Further consultations with USAID and Canadian Consultant Companies, the New Airport’s location was chosen at the Northern Tangerang region: Cengkareng.
The Construction at Cengkareng Site in Tangerang, West Java (now: Banten) commenced on 1980. The Jakarta International Airport Cengkareng [JIAC] — later renamed to Soekarno Hatta International Airport — was opened to the public on 1 May 1985, ushering a new era in Indonesian Aviation Travel Industry. Serving Its Last Flight on 31 March 1985, the now-decommisionned Airport in Kemayoran was soon developed into Kota Baru Bandar Kemayoran. Few of the Former Kemayoran Airport’s Physical Constructions survived, namely the Air Traffic Controller [ATC] Tower & Terminal Building. Its Former 2 Runways — Last used at the 1996 Kemayoran Airshow — has been turned into Motorways: Jl. Benyamin Sueb & Jl. HBR Motik.
Now, as Passenger Air Travel keeps rising, Jakarta’s Existing Airport’s at Soekarno-Hatta & Halim Perdanakusumah would reach maximum capacity should no new developments (Expansion/New Location) been done. Looking back at Kemayoran Airport’s journey could provide us with much-needed knowledge.
-DFF
