Jakarta – Flight traffic at Kertajati Airport, located in Majalengka, West Java, has been growing this year.
In April 2023, Kertajati Airport served Umrah flights of 200 pilgrims who flew using Lion Air. Then in May 2023 as many as 143 Umrah pilgrims flew from Kertajati Airport to the Holy Land with Garuda Indonesia airlines.
Executive General Manager of Kertajati Airport, Nuril Huda, said that Kertajati Airport was also designated as an embarkation for the departure of prospective pilgrims. The departure of prospective pilgrims from Kertajati Airport took place from May 28 to June 23, 2023 with a total of 25 groups and the number of prospective pilgrims reaching 9,268 people.
“We are grateful for the support of all stakeholders so that Kertajati Airport is able to properly serve Umrah flights and the departure of prospective pilgrims,” Nuril said on Monday (3/7/2023).
As for July 9 to August 3, 2023, Kertajati Airport will serve return flights for pilgrims with a total of 25 flight groups.
Regular Flights
Kertajati Airport starting May 17, 2023 has also served regular AirAsia flights to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. AirAsia operates flights to Kuala Lumpur twice a week, namely on Wednesday and Sunday.
Nuril Huda said, flights to and from Kuala Lumpur are in demand by tourists from both countries. “We hope that flights from Kertajati – Kuala Lumpur – Kertajati can support the growth of the West Java tourism sector,” he said.
The Garuda Indonesia airline will also open special Umrah flights through Kertajati Airport – Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) starting August 6, 2023.
“The opening of special Umrah flights to Jeddah also signifies the considerable potential for Umrah flights at Kertajati Airport. This flight makes it easier for people in eastern West Java such as Cirebon, Indramayu and Majalengka, Kuningan and also people in western Central Java such as Tegal and Bebres to perform Umrah,” said Nuril.
He also said that the international flight market at Kertajati Airport is also wide open in line with the many industrial sectors around the airport.
Cargo Flights
Kertajati Airport also strongly supports the industrial sector in West Java by serving cargo flights. In fact, on March 22, 2023, Kertajati Airport served the landing of one of the largest cargo aircraft (freighter) in the world, namely Antonov 124-100 which carried factory machinery.
“Kertajati Airport is very ready in terms of facilities and operations to support the economy in West Java,” Nuril said.
General Aviation
Kertajati Airport this year also serves general aviation, including flying school flights and other private jets.
“There are about three flying schools that use Kertajati Airport as a training ground because of the completeness of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) facilities and others, we hope that Kertajati Airport can also support the development of the national aviation sector,” Nuril said.
In the near future, access to and from Kertajati Airport will also be strengthened with the full opening of the Cisumdawu Toll Road.
