Syamsudin Noor Airport

Syamsudin Noor Airport (IATA: BDJ, ICAO: WAOO) is a domestic airport serving Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, Indonesia.^[3] It is located in the district of Landasan Ulin, 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Banjarbaru, the capital of South Kalimantan, and about 25 km (16 mi) southeast from the center of the city of Banjarmasin, the largest city of South Kalimantan. Named after Syamsudin Noor, an Indonesian Air Force officer from South Kalimantan, the airport serves as the primary gateway to Banjarmasin and the wider South Kalimantan region. It offers regular flights to major Indonesian cities such as Jakarta, Semarang, and Surabaya, as well as to key cities in Kalimantan including Balikpapan. The airport also supports rural air services to remote areas in the island’s interior. While the airport currently lacks scheduled international services, it occasionally operates seasonal flights to Jeddah to accommodate Hajj pilgrims traveling to Mecca.

In addition to functioning as a commercial airport, it also hosts the Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base, a Type-B facility operated by the Indonesian Air Force.^[4]

Before 1970, the airport was known as Ulin Airfield, named after the district where it is located. It was originally built in 1936 by the Dutch colonial government as a military base for the Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force (ML-KNIL).^[5] The airbase was considered a strategic target by the Japanese during the early stages of their 1942 invasion of the Dutch East Indies, as it was located just 420 kilometers from Surabaya. Its proximity made it a key objective in Japan’s plan to neutralize Allied air power in Java.^[6] The airfield sustained damage during the invasion and was subsequently captured by Japanese forces following the Battle of Banjarmasin. In 1944, the Japanese repaired the airfield to support their military operations against the Allies. At that time, it featured a single runway measuring 2,220 meters in length and 45 meters in width.^[7] The Japanese held the base until their surrender in 1945, after which it was reclaimed by the returning Dutch authorities.

Following the return of Dutch forces to Banjarmasin, the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA) undertook minor renovations, including reinforcing the runway with a new 10-centimeter-thick foundation.^[8] After the Dutch departure following the transfer of sovereignty, the airport was transferred to the Indonesian government, which recognized its strategic value and began gradual development efforts. Between 1974 and 1977, the runway was extended to accommodate larger aircraft such as the Fokker F28. Initially operating solely as an Indonesian Air Force base, the airport was officially designated for civilian use in 1975.^[8] In 1970, it was renamed Syamsudin Noor Airport, in honor of Syamsudin Noor—a revolutionary and Indonesian Air Force pilot from South Kalimantan who died in a crash on Mount Galunggung during a flight from Bandung to Tasikmalaya. His remains are interred at Cikutra Heroes Cemetery in Bandung.^[9][10][11]

The airport was previously designated as an international airport; however, it did not operate regular international flights,^[12] aside from seasonal services to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to accommodate Hajj pilgrims traveling to Mecca.^[13] Due to the absence of consistent international traffic, the Ministry of Transportation revoked the airport’s authorization to serve international routes on 2 April 2024,^[14] although Hajj flights continue to be permitted.^[15] The South Kalimantan provincial government is actively working to restore the airport's international status and launch direct international flights to Malaysia and Singapore.^[16]

The airport previously faced overcapacity issues, with the old terminal covering only 9,000 m² and capable of accommodating around 1.3 million passengers.^[17] However, in 2013, it handled approximately 3.8 million passengers. As a result, proposals to construct a new terminal to accommodate the growing number of passengers and increasing air traffic have been under consideration for some time. In August 2012, about 58 hectares of 102 hectares (57%) of the land needed for the expansion had been acquired.^[18] The development work was predicted to be completed in late 2014.^[19] However, the development was delayed due to land acquisition problems and didn't get underway until 2017.^[20]

To increase the airport's capacity and services, Angkasa Pura I built a new terminal at Syamsudin Noor Airport along with other supporting facilities to overcome the problem of lack of capacity with an investment value of Rp. 2.2 trillion (US$1.4 billion). This airport development project is also included in one of the National Strategic Projects (PSN).^[21] The airport development project consists of two phases. Phase I, which effectively started in 2018, includes the construction of a new passenger terminal building covering an area of 77,569 square meters which can accommodate 7 million passengers per year, equipped with 42 check-in counters, three jetbridges and four baggage conveyors. Phase 2, which officially began in 2017, involves expanding the apron to 129,812 square meters to accommodate parking for 14 narrow-body aircraft, as well as 20 aircraft in total, including 2 Boeing 747s, 2 Boeing 777s, 2 Boeing 767s, 12 Boeing 737s, and 2 ATR-72s.^[22] The phase also includes the construction of supporting facilities, such as a new cargo terminal covering 3,079 square meters, and a vehicle parking area of 36,780 square meters, which will accommodate 1,199 four-wheeled vehicles and 720 two-wheeled vehicles.^[21] After multiple delays, the new airport terminal officially began operations on 18 December 2019, following its inauguration by then-President Joko Widodo.^[17]

To accommodate wide-body aircraft and growing air traffic, proposals have been made to extend the existing runway by 500 meters, increasing its length from 2,500 meters to 3,000 meters.^[23]

Usually taxis are there until the last flight. Taxi service providers are:

• Arya Taxi
• Kojatas Taxi
• Kopatas Taxi
• Banua Taxi
• Banjar Taxi
• Borneo Taxi
• City Transportation with the aim: Banjarmasin KM 6, Gambut, Banjarbaru, and Martapura

Perum DAMRI operates bus routes from the Airport to Banjarmasin by medium-sized buses.

• On 13 January 1980, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 PK-GND of Garuda Indonesia named "Brantas", was damaged beyond repair in a heavy landing. There were no injuries.
• On 4 January 1989, a Bouraq Indonesia Airlines PK-IHA HS 748 suffered extensive damage when the pilots had to perform a belly landing at Syamsudin Noor Airport, following a failure of the landing gears with 47 passengers and five crew on board.^[36]
• On 28 August 1992, Vickers Viscount PK-IVX of Bouraq Indonesia Airlines was damaged beyond economic repair when an engine fire forced the crew to abort the take-off.^[37]
• On 16 August 2013, Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737-8U3 PK-GMH flight 532 from Jakarta suffered from nose wheel steering malfunction. The aircraft landed safely but needed to be towed off the runway.
• On 16 April 2016, ATR 72-500 PK-KSC of Kalstar Aviation flight KD931 was climbing from Banjarmasin to Kotabaru when the crew reported a fire indication in the number 1 engine. The plane returned and landed at Banjarmasin about 15 minutes later. The aircraft stopped on the runway and was evacuated. There were no injuries. Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation confirmed the aircraft suffered an engine fire indication; the engine was shut down.

• Accident history for BDJ at Aviation Safety Network