PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The Bandung City Government is encouraging the restoration of air connectivity by opening the Super Air Jet route at Husein Sastranegara Airport.

Super Air Jet opens the Medan–Bandung–Denpasar route every day using an Airbus A320-200 with a capacity of 180 economy class seats.

The inauguration of the inaugural flight took place at Husein Sastranegara Airport on Friday (18/9/2026) and was attended by the Mayor of Bandung, Muhammad Farhan.

Farhan said the opening of the route increases flight options and encourages an increase in passenger numbers at Husein Airport.

"A month after the inauguration of flights by Garuda and Citilink, today marks the inauguration of flights by Super Air Jet at Husein Sastranegara Airport. Thank God, this means an increase in the number of flights and passengers," said Farhan.

The number of passengers, which was previously around 1,000 people per day, has now increased and is estimated to approach 2,000 passengers.

The Bandung City Government, together with Husein Sastranegara Air Force Base and Angkasa Pura, is also improving the infrastructure and facilities supporting airport operations.

"We, together with Husein Air Force Base and Angkasa Pura, are committed to making various infrastructure and facility improvements needed to support the development of Husein Airport," he said.

Farhan sees Bandung's position as having the potential to become a transit point for domestic flights from Sumatra to Bali, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi.

"Bandung is one of the most pleasant transit options. It's inexpensive, and the process is quick because the airport is relatively small, making it very convenient for passengers," he said.

Super Air Jet's inaugural flight from Medan carried around 170 passengers, with 130 disembarking in Bandung and 40 continuing on to Denpasar.

According to Farhan, these transit activities can stimulate the hospitality, culinary, trade, manufacturing, tourism, and education sectors in Bandung City.

"Transiting can boost the hospitality industry around the airport. If passengers disembark in Bandung, the impact will be even broader for the tourism, trade, manufacturing, and education sectors," he said.

Farhan also said that the education sector is one of Bandung's attractions that encourages mobility of people from various regions.

"We must provide as much space as possible for educational purposes because Bandung is known as a city of education," he said.

The Bandung City Government is targeting Husein Airport's passenger numbers to reach 3,000 people per day by the end of 2026.

Currently, the number of passengers is in the range of 1,300 to 1,600 people per day, while before the pandemic it had reached around 9,000 people.

"If we reach 3,000 passengers per day, we'll return to the 2023 level. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, we even reached around 9,000 passengers per day," he said.

To support this target, the Bandung City Government has improved the quality of roads and public street lighting and prepared overhead cable arrangements.

The Bandung City Government also discussed the construction of direct access from the Pasteur Toll Gate to Husein Airport with various stakeholders, including Bappenas.

"One of our priorities is to organize the overhead cables to make the area around the airport more organized. We are also discussing the construction of direct access from the Pasteur Toll Gate to Husein Airport with various stakeholders, including the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas)," Farhan explained.

Lion Air Group President Director Capt. Daniel Putut Kuncoro Adi said the opening of the Bandung route is part of a strategy to strengthen connectivity and meet the public's air transportation needs.

"Today is a historic day as Bandung is once again bustling with flights. We are ready to support this, as we have a robust fleet and connectivity network," said Daniel.

On the inaugural flight, the passenger occupancy rate or load factor of Super Air Jet reached more than 90 percent in both directions of the flight.

"This shows the public's high level of enthusiasm. Therefore, we will continue to expand our flight network from Bandung," he said.

Super Air Jet also plans to open routes to Pontianak, Balikpapan, Makassar, and Pekanbaru to expand people's travel options.

Daniel said Bandung has great potential as a tourism, education, culinary, sports, and health destination so its flight network can still be developed.

The company also stated its readiness to serve international flights if Husein Airport regains its international airport status.

"If Bandung reopens as an international airport, we are ready to serve international flights. One of the most potential markets is Kuala Lumpur," he said.

(Bandung City Communications and Information Service/bhf)