PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan welcomed President Prabowo Subianto's instruction regarding the reactivation of Husein Sastranegara Airport. Farhan stated that he received the news after the President's visit to Bandung on May 25, 2026.

According to Farhan, the President has instructed that Husein Airport in Bandung City and Adi Sucipto Airport in Yogyakarta be reactivated to support regional economic growth.

"After the President visited Bandung City, that afternoon I received news that the President had instructed that the reactivation of Husein Airport be carried out together with Adi Sucipto Airport," said Farhan at the Bandung City Hall, Wednesday (May 27, 2026).

He stated that Husein Airport has not been completely closed. However, commercial flight operations have been limited to scheduled flights using propeller-driven aircraft on intercity routes within Java.

Farhan is optimistic that this reactivation policy will restore Husein Airport's strategic role as an economic driver for Bandung. He recalled that in 2019, Husein Airport saw approximately 3.8 million passengers, comprising 3 million domestic passengers and 800,000 international passengers.

"We want to restore the glory of Husein Airport and economic growth in Bandung City," he said.

As a form of support, the Bandung City Government will carry out a number of improvements to supporting infrastructure, particularly access to the airport.

One of the priorities is improving the entry and exit routes to the airport area, including access from the Pasteur Toll Road via the PT Dirgantara Indonesia area and the Indonesian Air Force complex.

Farhan assessed that the completion of the Nurtanio Flyover is also an important momentum to smooth the flow of vehicles to Husein Airport, both from the west and east sides of Bandung City.

Regarding the existence of Kertajati Airport, Farhan stated that all policies remain in the hands of the central government because of its status as a National Strategic Project.

He said the regional government does not have the authority to determine the direction of Kertajati's development, including the possibility of developing it as an aircraft maintenance and overhaul center.

Farhan also revealed that the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) and the central government are currently preparing a reactivation study. Discussions include investment schemes between the central government, provincial governments, and city governments.

"Hopefully, Bappenas will start calculating this year. This will include determining the funding sources and investment portions for each," he said.

He added that, since the 2026 budget has largely been disbursed, it is possible that the Husein Sastranegara Airport development project will utilize a foreign loan scheme, the management of which will be determined by the central government.

"If you use a foreign loan, who has the right to manage the money? Because whoever has the right to use the money is obligated to repay it. It's PLN, or a foreign loan," he said. (Bandung City Communications and Information Office/rka)