クアラナム空港の歴史:ポーランドの実業家からジュスフ・カラの野望に連れて行かれたポロニアから

JAKARTA - North Sumatra (North Sumatra) has a sophisticated airport. The name is Kualanamu International Airport. Kualanamu is a symbol of progress. Its presence is predicted to be a replacement for the troubled Polonia Airport.

Planning for Kualanamu Airport did not take long. Its initiation began in the 1990s. The 1997-1998 recession for its realization stalled. The new construction was carried out seriously in 2006 at the initiation of Jusuf Kalla. Kualanamu has become one of the busiest airports in Indonesia.

Tobacco is a commodity that made the name of East Sumatra - now North Sumatra - famous in remote parts of the country. The city of Medan, which was originally quiet, became bustling. Businessmen from the Dutch East Indies to overseas began to come to Medan, they invested.

The ruler from Poland, Baron Mishalsky, was one of them. He got a tobacco plantation concession land permit from the Dutch colonial government in 1872. Baron Mishalsky followed in the footsteps of other entrepreneurs in naming his plantation. The tobacco plantation was named Polonia. A name taken from the Polish Latin, namely Polonia.

The name persists even though the concession land permit has changed hands. Its new owner, Deli Maatschappij, doesn't care about the name issue. They only think about profit. The world of aviation is on the rise, the company is enthusiastic about it.

To the extent that Deli Maatschappij gave up a piece of Polonia land to be used as an emergency airstrip. So that Medan will be more crowded with investors, he said. Gradually, the makeshift airstrip was enlarged. The facilities have been improved as the number of flights begins. Gradually, the emergency runway was transformed into Polonia Airport in 1931.

“East Sumatra Resident Assistant, CJ Van Kempen, at that time had urged the Dutch East Indies government in Batavia (now: Jakarta) to speed up the dropping of money to complete the airfield, at least one emergency line first. However, the central government of the Dutch East Indies had delayed this when it heard advice from the top leadership of the Dutch East Indies Army (KNIL) to provide the Polonia airfield, which would later become a civilian and military airfield.”

"And for this reason, in 1929 a flight route will be opened every week between Batavia-Singapore-Belawan back and forth by airplane, and that the Central Government has also agreed to provide Polonia airfield on January 1, 1931, so that since 1931 the relationship between Batavia and Singapore-Medan will be carried out by airplane,” said Tengku Luckman Sinar in the book History of Medan Tempo Doeloe (1994).

The presence of Polonia further enhances economic activity in North Sumatra. The airport is the entry point for domestic and foreign tourists. Especially investors. Especially when the Dutch airline Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (KLM) officially operates flights to Polonia. Jaya Polonia survived until Indonesia became independent.

At that time, Polonia Airport was developed. Added facilities and infrastructure. Polonia Airport can accommodate up to 900 thousand passengers per year. For some time Polonia Airport has been able to accommodate passengers from various parts of the country.

Time was running fast. The situation changed as we entered 1955. It was predicted that Polonia Airport would not be able to accommodate the crowds of the increasing number of airplane passengers. That assumption developed when Film Star Nurnaningsih visited Medan.

The country's first sex bomb has been awaited by fans at Polonia Airport. They are on average curious to see the artist in the capital city. Moreover, Nurnangsih is nicknamed the Marilyn Monroe of Indonesia. Inevitably, Polonia Airport was packed. Even though those who came at that time only reached thousands. That amount alone has been so troublesome for the Air Force Police (PAU).

“Polonia Airport, Medan, November 24, 1955. Crowds of people. Not crowded because of the passengers who want to travel or have just arrived. The airport is actually crowded with many people who do not want to travel. Even the glass door of the Polonia restaurant was smashed by someone so excited.”

“They are mostly young men and students. Apparently they wanted to see firsthand and up close a sensational Indonesian film star. The only movie star willing to pose 'brave.' The star of the film is Nurnaningsih," explained the newspaper De Locomotif on November 25, 1955, quoted by Achmad Sunjayadi in the book [Not Tabu in the Archipelago (2018).

The overcrowding of Polonia Airport became more evident when the government was taken over by Suharto. The New Order (Orba) rulers have realized that Polonia for years to come will not be able to accommodate many airplane passengers. Moreover, the development of the city began to grow rapidly. The development of residential areas makes the airport appear to be in the middle of the city. Therefore, the risk of a plane crash is so high.

The option of building a new airport was then explored. The urgency was brought by the Minister of Transportation Azwar Anas in the 1990s. The airport was started to be designed in 1992. The land itself has been prepared since 1995. The desire to build it is based on the fact that Polonia Airport can only accommodate 900 thousand passengers per year. In reality, Polonia Airport passengers are quite full, the number reaches 6 million passengers per year.

The construction of a new airport cannot be realized quickly. The condition of the Indonesian economy, which slumped due to the 1997-1998 recession, was the origin. Let alone building, the banking sector situation, foreign debt, and political chaos. After all, many companies are out of business and unemployment is everywhere. As a result, building a new airport is a necessity.

“Looking back for a moment in 1998-1999 there was an economic crisis and unemployment throughout Indonesia. The Indonesian economy was in free fall and reached a low point in 1998, when there was a very severe economic recession. Inflation reached 75 percent in 1998-1999, the highest in Indonesian history.”

“But in fact it could drop to 10 percent in 1999-2000. To be able to achieve this, the government implements reduction measures. As a result, many companies went out of business due to high interest rates and production costs. This has led to massive unemployment," wrote Rosramadhana in the book Strategy and Socio-Political Problems of the Indonesian Regional Autonomy Administration (2018).

The development of Kualanamu Airport became more prominent when a Boeing 732-200 plane crash belonging to Mandala Airlines occurred in 2005. The plane carrying 112 passengers and 5 crew hit five houses of Padang Bulan Village residents (100 meters from Polonia). As a result of the accident 96 passengers and crew died. Including, the Governor of North Sumatra, Rizal Nurdin (2003-2008). Also 44 residents of Padang Bulan also became victims.

The accident received direct attention from the Vice President of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla (2004-2009). With his authority, the construction of Kualanamu Airport will immediately begin. It can't be postponed any longer. The figure who is widely known by the acronym JK realizes that the settlements around the airport have mushroomed. Therefore, passenger safety must be the first choice.

The only solution is to re-invigorate the narrative of the construction of Kualanamu Airport. Ten months later the groundbreaking of Kualanamu International Airport took place. JK acted as the one who laid the first stone. Then, the construction of Kualanamu Airport officially started in 2006.

In terms of building Kualanamu, JK did not only act as a savior. But also act in airport design planning. Initially the airport will be made dominant in the Batak style. There are also other designs prepared in the majority of the Malay style.

JK rejected both. JK wants an airport with a modern style so that there is no conflict. After all, Kualanamu Airport will later become an airport that all Indonesians visit.

Therefore, it is correct that the name chosen is Kualanamu. The word "kuala" is based on the Malay language which means the mouth of a river or the meeting of a river with the sea. While "Namu" or "Namo" comes from the Karo language which means bottom. If combined, Kualanamu will mean a place to meet. This means that Kualanamu is a meeting place for various ethnic groups in Medan. Kualanamu was officially operational on July 25, 2013.

“He (JK) then asked for a plan. The first design is in the Batak style, and the other in the Malay style. However, about 35 percent of the population of North Sumatra are Javanese. So if the design uses the Batak style, the Javanese and the Malays are angry. If you use the Malay style, the Javanese and the Batak people get angry."

“In the end, I just wanted to be functional. Then second, I want the airport to be green, energy efficient. Third, I want a modern airport. Then, for the construction, all national architects and contractors," concluded JK as written by Rhenald Kasali in the book Self Driving: Being a Driver or Passenger? (2014).

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