Polonia International Airport
Encyclopedia
Polonia International Airport (Popularly Polonia Airport, as in Indonesia
, Bandara Polonia) is located in the city of Medan
, Indonesia
, about 5 km from the Central Business District. It is the first international airport in Medan, the other being the planned Kuala Namu International Airport
. It serves flights to several Indonesian and Malaysian cities, along with a flight to Singapore
and Thailand
. Flights to Indian cities are also planned. In terms of passenger numbers, Polonia is the fourth largest airport in Indonesia after Soekarno-Hatta
, Juanda
, and Ngurah Rai.
Service charge (Airport Tax) is Rp.35,000 ($4.1) for each passenger who depart through domestic flight, while Rp.75,000 ($8.8) for international flight.
name of the country of Poland
. In 1872, the Baron obtained a concession from the Dutch East Indies
administration for a tobacco plantation in Medan
. He named the plantation after the country of his birth, which at that time was not an independent state.
In 1879 the concession was handed over to Deli Maatschappij (Deli MIJ) or NV Deli Maskapai. In 1924, Dutch KLM test pilot N. J. Thomassen à Thuessink van der Hoop planned to fly on a Fokker F.VII
in a pioneering flight from the Netherlands. Therefore, Deli MIJ who controlled that piece of land handed it over for the land to become the first airstrip in Medan.
By the time the news had arrived, it was too late to prepare a proper landing strip at Polonia. As a result, van der Hoop, together with Lieutenant H van Weerden Poelman of the Army Aviation Department and KLM flight engineer P. A. van den Broeke landed on a horse-racing track called Deli Renvereeniging and were greeted by the Sultan of Deli, Sulaiman Syaiful Alamsyah.
After this first landing, the Assistant Resident of Eastern Sumatra C.S. Van Kempen urged the Netherlands East Indies administration in Batavia to allocate the necessary funding to finish the airport at Polonia. In 1928 the airport was officially opened which was marked with the landing of six aircraft owned by KNILM, a subsidiary of KLM on a temporary hardened dirt runway. From 1930, KLM and KNILM started expanding its network to Medan. It was only in 1936 that the airport's 600 metre permanent runway was finished.
In 1975, according to a joint decree issued by the Department of Defence and Security, Department of Transportation, and Department of Finance, the airport was jointly managed between the Indonesian Air Force
and the Civil Aviation. From 1985, according to the Government Regulation No. 30 year 1975, the management became the responsibility of Perum Angkasa Pura
which subsequently became PT. Angkasa Pura II (Persero) after 1 January 1994.
(05/23) which is 2900 m long and 45 m wide, but has only 2,625 m of usable length. There is no run-off space beyond the runway thresholds, and the airfield is surrounded by residential areas. It is often said that its location in a residential district, the wealthy Polonia area, is due to a superstition that the loud noises from aircraft drive away malevolent spirits.
Until recently, the airport consisted of an international and domestic terminal. A fire in the international arrivals area in 2006 caused damage to the airport, reducing the baggage reclaim area to a small section inside the terminal. On 2 December 2007, the domestic terminal was damaged by another fire. There were no injuries, and the separate international terminal was not affected.
The airport suffers from overcrowding, serving 4.5 million passengers annually in facilities designed to handle only 900,000 passengers. These problems should be resolved by the construction of Kuala Namu International Airport
, which will replace Polonia Airport and become Indonesia's second-largest airport when opened in mid-2011 (???). Construction began 29 June 2006.
The other problems are no orderly parking space for taxi, too much porters and poor spatial for cafes and souvenir shops which contribute to uncontrollable garbage.
Facing dilemma whether or not upgrading Polonia International Airport amid pressure to realized when new Kuala Namu International Airport will be finished, PT Angkasa Pura
II pledges to fix access roads between Mustang street and Imam Bonjol street.
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
, Bandara Polonia) is located in the city of Medan
Medan
- Demography :The city is Indonesia's fourth most populous after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, and Indonesia's largest city outside of Java island. Much of the population lies outside its city limits, especially in Deli Serdang....
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, about 5 km from the Central Business District. It is the first international airport in Medan, the other being the planned Kuala Namu International Airport
Kuala Namu International Airport
Kuala Namu International Airport is a new airport under construction to replace Polonia International Airport. Polonia airport is the site of several crashes, is inappropriately located in the centre of the city of Medan, has a difficult takeoff path and has a shorter runway...
. It serves flights to several Indonesian and Malaysian cities, along with a flight to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Flights to Indian cities are also planned. In terms of passenger numbers, Polonia is the fourth largest airport in Indonesia after Soekarno-Hatta
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport
Soekarno–Hatta International Airport , popularly abbreviated SHIA or Soetta is the main airport serving the greater Jakarta area on the island of Java, Indonesia. The airport is named after the first President of Indonesia, Soekarno, and the first vice-president, Mohammad Hatta. The airport is...
, Juanda
Juanda International Airport
Juanda International Airport , is an airport located in Sidoarjo, a small town near Surabaya, East Java. This airport serves Surabaya and surrounding areas. Juanda International Airport is operated by PT Angkasa Pura I. The airport takes its name after Djuanda Kartawidjaja, the last Prime Minister...
, and Ngurah Rai.
Service charge (Airport Tax) is Rp.35,000 ($4.1) for each passenger who depart through domestic flight, while Rp.75,000 ($8.8) for international flight.
History
The airport's name is taken from the plantation area owned by a Pole, Baron Michalski in which it is situated. Polonia originates from the LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
name of the country of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. In 1872, the Baron obtained a concession from the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
administration for a tobacco plantation in Medan
Medan
- Demography :The city is Indonesia's fourth most populous after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, and Indonesia's largest city outside of Java island. Much of the population lies outside its city limits, especially in Deli Serdang....
. He named the plantation after the country of his birth, which at that time was not an independent state.
In 1879 the concession was handed over to Deli Maatschappij (Deli MIJ) or NV Deli Maskapai. In 1924, Dutch KLM test pilot N. J. Thomassen à Thuessink van der Hoop planned to fly on a Fokker F.VII
Fokker F.VII
The Fokker F.VII, also known as the Fokker Trimotor, was an airliner produced in the 1920s by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker, Fokker's American subsidiary Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and other companies under licence....
in a pioneering flight from the Netherlands. Therefore, Deli MIJ who controlled that piece of land handed it over for the land to become the first airstrip in Medan.
By the time the news had arrived, it was too late to prepare a proper landing strip at Polonia. As a result, van der Hoop, together with Lieutenant H van Weerden Poelman of the Army Aviation Department and KLM flight engineer P. A. van den Broeke landed on a horse-racing track called Deli Renvereeniging and were greeted by the Sultan of Deli, Sulaiman Syaiful Alamsyah.
After this first landing, the Assistant Resident of Eastern Sumatra C.S. Van Kempen urged the Netherlands East Indies administration in Batavia to allocate the necessary funding to finish the airport at Polonia. In 1928 the airport was officially opened which was marked with the landing of six aircraft owned by KNILM, a subsidiary of KLM on a temporary hardened dirt runway. From 1930, KLM and KNILM started expanding its network to Medan. It was only in 1936 that the airport's 600 metre permanent runway was finished.
In 1975, according to a joint decree issued by the Department of Defence and Security, Department of Transportation, and Department of Finance, the airport was jointly managed between the Indonesian Air Force
Indonesian Air Force
The Indonesian Air Force is the air force branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.The Indonesian Air Force has 34,930 personnel equipped with 110 combat aircraft including Su-27 and Su-30.-Before Indonesian independence :...
and the Civil Aviation. From 1985, according to the Government Regulation No. 30 year 1975, the management became the responsibility of Perum Angkasa Pura
Angkasa Pura
PT. Angkasa Pura is a state enterprise of the Indonesian Department of Transport that is responsible for the management of airports and air traffic services in Indonesia. PT. Angkasa Pura is made up of two parts: PT Angkasa Pura I & PT Angkasa Pura II.Angkasa Pura I has its head office in Jakarta...
which subsequently became PT. Angkasa Pura II (Persero) after 1 January 1994.
Runway and Facilities
There is a single asphalt runwayRunway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
(05/23) which is 2900 m long and 45 m wide, but has only 2,625 m of usable length. There is no run-off space beyond the runway thresholds, and the airfield is surrounded by residential areas. It is often said that its location in a residential district, the wealthy Polonia area, is due to a superstition that the loud noises from aircraft drive away malevolent spirits.
Until recently, the airport consisted of an international and domestic terminal. A fire in the international arrivals area in 2006 caused damage to the airport, reducing the baggage reclaim area to a small section inside the terminal. On 2 December 2007, the domestic terminal was damaged by another fire. There were no injuries, and the separate international terminal was not affected.
The airport suffers from overcrowding, serving 4.5 million passengers annually in facilities designed to handle only 900,000 passengers. These problems should be resolved by the construction of Kuala Namu International Airport
Kuala Namu International Airport
Kuala Namu International Airport is a new airport under construction to replace Polonia International Airport. Polonia airport is the site of several crashes, is inappropriately located in the centre of the city of Medan, has a difficult takeoff path and has a shorter runway...
, which will replace Polonia Airport and become Indonesia's second-largest airport when opened in mid-2011 (???). Construction began 29 June 2006.
The other problems are no orderly parking space for taxi, too much porters and poor spatial for cafes and souvenir shops which contribute to uncontrollable garbage.
Facing dilemma whether or not upgrading Polonia International Airport amid pressure to realized when new Kuala Namu International Airport will be finished, PT Angkasa Pura
Angkasa Pura
PT. Angkasa Pura is a state enterprise of the Indonesian Department of Transport that is responsible for the management of airports and air traffic services in Indonesia. PT. Angkasa Pura is made up of two parts: PT Angkasa Pura I & PT Angkasa Pura II.Angkasa Pura I has its head office in Jakarta...
II pledges to fix access roads between Mustang street and Imam Bonjol street.
Airlines and destinations
Accidents and incidents
- On 11 July 1979, a Fokker F28 of Garuda Indonesia Airways1979 Garuda Fokker F28 crashThe 1979 Garuda Fokker F28 crash occurred on 11 July 1979 when a Garuda Indonesia Fokker F28 airliner on a domestic flight in Indonesia from Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport, Palembang, to Polonia International Airport, Medan, struck Mount Sibayak at on approach to landing...
crashed into Mount SibayakSibayakMt. Sibayak is a small stratovolcano overlooking the town of Berastagi in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Although its last eruption was more than a century ago, geothermal activity in the form of steam vents and hot springs remains high on and around the volcano. The vents produce crystalline...
while on approach to Medan-Polonia airport. All 61 passengers and crew on board were killed. - On 4 April 1987, Garuda Indonesia Flight 035, crashed into power lines and a television aerial in bad weather as it attempted landing at Medan-Polonia. 22 of the 45 passengers and crew on board were killed.
- On 18 June 1988, Vickers ViscountVickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
PK-MVG of Merpati Nusantara AirlinesMerpati Nusantara AirlinesMerpati Nusantara Airlines is a commuter airline based in Central Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is a major domestic airline operating scheduled services to more than 25 destinations in Indonesia, as well as scheduled international services to East Timor and Malaysia. Its main base is...
was damaged beyond economic repair when it suffered a hydraulic system failure and departed the runway. - On 26 September 1997, Garuda Indonesia Flight 152Garuda Indonesia Flight 152Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 was a scheduled domestic Indonesian passenger flight from Jakarta to Medan Sumatra operated by state owned flag carrier Garuda Indonesia. On September 26, 1997, the Airbus A300 flying this route, registered PK-GAI, crashed into woodlands 29 km from Medan in low...
, a Airbus A300Airbus A300The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody jet airliner. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of Airbus Industrie, a consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS...
, crashed into woodlands 18 miles short of Medan-Polonia airport. All 235 passengers and crew on board were killed. Flight 152 is the worst aviation disaster in Indonesia history. - On 5 September 2005, Mandala Airlines Flight 091Mandala Airlines Flight 091On 5 September 2005 , a Jakarta-bound Boeing 737-200 jetliner operated by Mandala Airlines crashed into a heavily-populated residential area seconds after taking off from Polonia International Airport in Medan, Indonesia. There were 143 fatalities.Dozens of houses and cars were destroyed, and at...
, crashed shortly after takeoff from Polonia. Of the 120 passengers and crew on board, 104 were killed. Another 39 people on the ground died as a result of the crash.