PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The Bandung City Government has confirmed that flights on the Bandung–Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) route served by Wings Air will operate every day as an initial step to revive air connectivity from Husein Sastranegara Airport (11/2/2026).

The inaugural flight carried 22 passengers and officially took off from Husein Sastranegara Airport, Bandung City.

Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan said this route is the answer to the increasing public demand to return to flying from downtown Bandung.

"Alhamdulillah, we witnessed a very smooth flight carrying 22 passengers from Bandung to YIA. This flight will operate daily. Hopefully, this will continue our ability to meet the growing public demand for flights from Husein Sastranegara Airport to various destinations in Indonesia," said Farhan.

Farhan explained that Husein Airport's current operations still follow central government regulations, namely serving propeller-driven aircraft with flight routes within Java Island.

He emphasized that the airport's technical, operational, and management readiness is considered adequate to support passenger comfort and smooth flight operations.

"Thank God, Angkasa Pura is fully prepared for the technical, operational, and management of the airport. The city of Bandung is also ensuring smooth traffic flow around the airport. Thank you to the Minister of Public Works and the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure for completing the Nurtanio Flyover, so the airport area is truly ready for TOD development," he said.

Farhan revealed that Husein Airport has great potential because in 2019 the number of passengers reached 3.8 million people per year, including around 800 thousand international passengers.

He stated that the number of passengers per month in 2025 would still be around 4,000 people, so the Bandung City Government is targeting a significant increase through the gradual opening of routes.

"We must restore that enormous potential. Currently, the number of passengers per month in 2025 is still around 4,000. This means we still have a lot of work to do to achieve significant growth," he said.

Farhan stated that the opening of new routes would depend on the decision of the flight operator and permits from the Ministry of Transportation, but the Bandung City Government hopes that old routes can be reopened.

"We hope it will be like before. There will be routes to Medan, Palembang, Lampung, all of Java, Bali, Balikpapan, and even South Sulawesi. Previously, there were 11 domestic destinations and three international ones: Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor," said Farhan.

Farhan emphasized that the city government is focused on rebuilding the aviation ecosystem to attract investors and airlines to open more routes.

"Our job is to revitalize and maintain the ecosystem. If the ecosystem is thriving, private investors will come in. When that happens, we hope the central and provincial governments can seize this opportunity together," he said.

General Manager of Angkasa Pura Indonesia Husein Sastranegara Airport, Granito Wahyu, expressed optimism that improving flight connectivity could boost tourism and strengthen the economic value for the people of Bandung City.

"We hope connectivity in Bandung and West Java will improve. In the future, we hope to serve Bandung with larger aircraft, improving connectivity and boosting tourism and economic value for the community," he said. (Bandung City Communications and Information Office/bhf)