Serving the Greater Jakarta area, Soekarno–Hatta International Airport is the largest airport in Indonesia, with the capacity to handle up to 51 million passengers per year. It is situated around 20 kilometres north-west of the city centre and was named after the first president and vice-president of the country who fought for independence from the Dutch.
Soekarno–Hatta International Airport is considered an Asia-Pacific “mega hub”, with frequent flights across Asia, as well as direct services to Australia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Addis Ababa. It was designed as an “airport in a garden”, with tropical plants lining its hallways and traditional Javanese-styled pendopo pavilions at its boarding gates. French architect Paul Andreu incorporated local architecture into the design of Terminals 1 and 2, and the airport received the 1995 Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Wooden carvings and ethnic decorations from across the archipelago adorn the interior, including “kala-makara”, a mythical fish-elephants,that heads along its stair railings and doors. Terminal 1 is solely for domestic flights, while Terminal 2 handles international services and domestic routes with Sriwijaya Air, NAM Air and Indonesia AirAsia. Terminal 3 is used exclusively for Garuda Indonesia domestic flights and distinctly more modern, with contemporary metal frames and expansive glass windows in its eco-friendly design. Flights operate from two parallel 3,600 metre long runways, and the airport boasts its own golf course at the on-site Sheraton hotel.
The Soekarno–Hatta International Airport terminals are linked by a free shuttle bus, while private buses connect the airport to destinations across Jakarta. Taxis are available outside the arrivals area of all terminal buildings, and extensive car parking, including long-stay facilities, can be found.
Soekarno–Hatta International Airport began operating domestic flights in 1985 as the Jakarta International Airport Cengkareng. It replaced the old Kemayoran Airfield whose rapidly increasing air traffic demands couldn’t be met by its restricted civil airspace with the nearby Halim Perdanakusuma Indonesian Military Airport.