Traveling to Borneo from the Americas and Europe: Only Two International Airports in Balikpapan and Kuching

Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. Photo by: https://www.rri.co.id/

Typically, direct flights go to various islands in Indonesia, often with a stopover in Jakarta, landing at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Tangerang, Banten. 

If you want to go to Niah Caves and Miri, you can fly directly to Brunei International Airport (BIA) in Brunei Darussalam. So there are three international airports in Borneo across two countries (Indonesia and Brunei) and one in the State (Kuching, Sarawak).

Plan your trip to Borneo

However, to provide you with some insight and to help you plan your trip to Borneo, excluding Kuching, Sarawak in Malaysia which is more developed, here is a list of international airports in Indonesia. 

Only one of these airports is located in Borneo, specifically number 13, Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. This Balikpapan airport needs to be designated as an international airport due to the presence of the Capital City of the Nation (IKN) in this East Kalimantan province.

On April 2, 2024, the Ministry of Transportation issued Ministerial Decree No. 31/2024 regarding the designation of International Airports. This decree designates 17 airports in Indonesia as international airports, reducing the number from the previous 34 international airports.

The aim of designating these airports is to boost the national aviation sector, especially after the aviation industry suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Previously, many international airports only served flights to a few specific countries and not long-haul flights, thus other countries enjoyed the international connections more.

Here are the 17 airports now designated as International Airports:

1. Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport, Aceh Besar, Aceh

2. Kualanamu Airport, Deli Serdang, North Sumatra

3. Minangkabau Airport, Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra

4. Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport, Pekanbaru, Riau

5. Hang Nadim Airport, Banten, Riau Islands

6. Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten

7. Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, East Jakarta, DKI Jakarta

8. Kertajati Airport, Majalengka, West Java

9. Kulonprogo Airport, Kulonprogo, Special Region of Yogyakarta

10. Juanda Airport, Sidoarjo, East Java

11. I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, Badung, Bali

12. Zainuddin Abdul Madjid Airport, Lombok Tengah, NTB

13. Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan

14. Sultan Hasanuddin Airport, Maros, South Sulawesi

15. Sam Ratulangi Airport, Manado, North Sulawesi

16. Sentani Airport, Jayapura, Papua

17. Komodo Airport, Labuan Bajo, NTT

Although these 17 airports are now international, those still classified as domestic airports can, in principle, handle international flights for specific temporary purposes, following designation by the Minister of Transportation according to Ministerial Regulation No. PM 40 of 2023, which amends Ministerial Regulation No. PM 39 of 2019 concerning the National Airport Arrangement.

The 17 airports that remain domestic are:

1. Maimun Saleh Airport, Sabang, Aceh

2. Sisingamangaraja XII/Silangit Airport, North Tapanuli, North Sumatra

3. Raja Haji Fisabilillah Airport, Tanjung Pinang, Riau

4. Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin Airport, Palembang, South Sumatra

5. Raden Inten II Airport, South Lampung, Lampung

6. H.A.S Hanandjoeddin Airport, Tanjung Pandan, Bangka Belitung

7. Husein Sastranegara Airport, Bandung, West Java

8. Adi Sutjipto Airport, Sleman, Central Java

9. Jenderal Ahmad Yani Airport, Semarang, Central Java

10. Adi Soemarmo Airport, Boyolali, Central Java

11. Banyuwangi Airport, Banyuwangi

12. Supadio Pontianak Airport, Kubu Raya, Pontianak

13. Juwata Airport, Tarakan, North Kalimantan

14. Syamsuddin Noor Airport, Banjar Baru, South Kalimantan

15. El Tari Airport, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara

16. Pattimura Airport, Ambon, Maluku

17. Frans Kaisiepo Airport, Biak, Papua

-- Ratu Kencana Wungu

Compiled from various sources, with the primary source: [https://indonesiabaik.id/infografis/daftar-17-bandara-internasional-indonesia](https://indonesiabaik.id/infografis/daftar-17-bandara-internasional-indonesia)