History Of Kemayoran Airport: Built In Netherlands, Retired In New Order

Apron Kemayoran Airport in 1940 after being inaugurated by the Dutch East Indies government as Nusantara's first international airfield. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Jakarta once had the first international airport in Indonesia. Kemayoran International Airport, the name. The airport is proof of the glory of Jakarta as the center of government. Historical events occurred many times at Kemayoran Airport. Primarily, the arrival of important people (state guests).

Everything changed when the New Order (Orba) came to power. The airport began to be unable to accommodate many planes from within and outside the country. New Order also chose the option to retire to Kemayoran International Airport.

The contents of Batavia (now: Jakarta) welcome the presence of air transportation with great fanfare. Air transportation has also been the prima donna since the military flight service was introduced in 1914. Initially, air transportation was focused on lifting military needs. From transporting personnel to weapons.

Recently, the owner of power began to smell the profits of the air transportation business. Commercial flights are echoed. This step is considered to be able to fully support Batavia's progress and cash. For tourism purposes, especially.

The promising business narrative finally reached the Dutch East Indies Royal Aviation Company, KNILM. Services by airplane from Batavia are a mainstay. The opening of intercity and state routes is an invitation.

This step was also strengthened by the presence of the first international airport in the Dutch East Indies. Kemayoran International Airport, his name. The airport was inaugurated on July 8, 1940. The presence of Kemayoran International Airport was hailed as a sign of the times.

The narrative is because the ceiling of Batavia is never quiet from the presence of airplanes. Because, every day the plane goes back and forth to Kemayoran Airport.

From the flight route opened by the KNILM, it can be seen that Batavia (Kemayoran) is the center or node of flight. This is because Batavia at that time was the center of government for the Dutch colonial government.

"One thing that is still the same from the VOC period until now where Jakarta is still the center of Indonesian government. From the KNILM flight route, it is also known that at that time Bandung, Surabaya, Semarang, Palembang, Pekanbaru and Medan were major cities compared to other cities in Indonesia," said Dadan Adi Kurniawan in the Mozaik Journal entitled Tracing Early Traces of Aviation in Indonesia 1913-1950 (2019).

The influence of Kemayoran Airport did not necessarily decrease when Indonesia was independent. The airport of the former Dutch East Indies government remains the pride of Jakarta residents. Even the downstream flow of homecoming from within and outside the country often takes place at Kemayoran Airport.

The airport's fame increased when various state guests made it a gateway to entering Indonesia. Especially when Indonesia hosted a big celebration, the Asia-Africa Conference in 1955. Many of the leaders of Asian and African countries came to Indonesia via Kemayoran.

His fame grew when a comedian from Belgium, George Rami, who has the pen's name Herge, made this airport a setting for the comic scene. His popular comic entitled The Adventure of Tintin: Flight 714 to Sydney (1968).

Everything changed when the New Order (Orba) government came to power. Kemayoran Airport is considered to be starting to get overwhelmed by the hectic interest of people to fly by plane. After all, flights in the middle of the city are starting to be considered unsafe.

As a tactic, the New Order began to share flight expenses by turning Halim Perdanakusuma Airport to life in Cawang, East Jakarta. This was done by the government on July 10, 1974. Since then, Kemayoran Airport has only been operated for domestic flights. The rest is accommodated by Halim Airport.

The option was carried out while the New Order perpetuated the construction of a new airport that was bigger and more magnificent. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, his name. The development forced the New Order government to make difficult decisions. The owner of the power chose to retire Kemayoran International Airport on March 31, 1985.

After that, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport began operating on April 1, 1985. The land of the former Kemayoran Airport was finally asked by the DKI Jakarta Government to become a permanent location for the event to celebrate Jakarta's anniversary, the new Jakarta Grand Week (PRJ) in 1992.

"After going on for 24 years, it seems that PRJ, which has been held at the Taman Silang Monas Arena, will soon occupy a new location that remains at the location of the former Kemayoran International Airport, which will turn into a new city of Bandar Kemayoran," explained A. Nur Fajar in his writing in Legislative Jaya Magazine entitledPRJ: From Silang Monas to Kemayoran (1992).