Sepinggan International Airport
Encyclopedia
Sepinggan International Airport is the principal airport serving East Kalimantan
area on the island of Kalimantan
, Indonesia
. It is located about 4.5 km east of Balikpapan
. The airport began its new operational phase in 1997, with new building and runway structure, replacing old structure on the same site. This airport is named after Sepinggan, a village (kelurahan) in which the airport is located.
Sepinggan Airport had been renovated twice during 1991 until 1997. The first phase was started in 1991 and ended in 1994, in order to renovate the taxy way, passenger and cargo terminals and also lengthened the runway. In 1995, the Indonesian government announced Sepinggan as the fifth Indonesian hajj embarkation airport for kalimantan (borneo) region which also consists West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan province.
The second phase renovation took place in 1996 to renovate the hangars, fuel depots and the administration buildings. The second phase was finished and the airport finally started its new operational era with the new buildings and facilities in 1997.
In order to anticipate and accommodate larger aircraft in the future, the government plan to extend the runway into 3100 meters.http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/03/03/sepinggan-airport-runway-extended.html
East Kalimantan
East Kalimantan is the second largest Indonesian province, located on the Kalimantan region on the east of Borneo island. The resource-rich province has two major cities, Samarinda and Balikpapan...
area on the island of Kalimantan
Kalimantan
In English, the term Kalimantan refers to the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo, while in Indonesian, the term "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo....
, 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...
. It is located about 4.5 km east of Balikpapan
Balikpapan
Balikpapan is a seaport city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo, Indonesia, in the East Kalimantan province, a resource-rich region well known for its timber, mining, and petroleum export products. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau , and the Sepinggan International Airport are the main...
. The airport began its new operational phase in 1997, with new building and runway structure, replacing old structure on the same site. This airport is named after Sepinggan, a village (kelurahan) in which the airport is located.
History
The construction of Sepinggan had been started since the Dutch colonial era prior to Indonesian independence time. It was used mainly for the Dutch Oil Company's activities in Balikpapan area. The airport soon would become public and commercial airport after its management was handed over to Direktorat Jenderal Perhubungan Udara of Republic Indonesia in 1960. Sepinggan was finally managed by Perum Angkasa Pura I (PT Angkasa Pura I on present day) due to Government Regulation (PP) No.1 on January 9th 1987.Sepinggan Airport had been renovated twice during 1991 until 1997. The first phase was started in 1991 and ended in 1994, in order to renovate the taxy way, passenger and cargo terminals and also lengthened the runway. In 1995, the Indonesian government announced Sepinggan as the fifth Indonesian hajj embarkation airport for kalimantan (borneo) region which also consists West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan province.
The second phase renovation took place in 1996 to renovate the hangars, fuel depots and the administration buildings. The second phase was finished and the airport finally started its new operational era with the new buildings and facilities in 1997.
In order to anticipate and accommodate larger aircraft in the future, the government plan to extend the runway into 3100 meters.http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/03/03/sepinggan-airport-runway-extended.html
Airlines and destinations
The following destinations are served from Balikpapan Sepinggan International Airport:Accidents and incidents
- On 4 July 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-IVW of Bouraq Indonesia AirlinesBouraq Indonesia AirlinesBouraq Indonesia Airlines, often shortened to Bouraq Airlines or just Bouraq, was an airline headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia, which operated mostly domestic passenger flights out of its bases at Jakarta Airport and Balikpapan Airport....
was damaged beyond economic repair when the starboard and nose gear collapsed during a tailwind landing.