President Prabowo Subianto is pushing to open more airports across Indonesia, aiming to boost international air traffic, especially from Singapore. This initiative is expected to strengthen cross-border connectivity and revive air travel to levels beyond those seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prabowo announced this directive during a joint press conference with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the Indonesia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat, held at Singapore’s Parliament House on Monday, June 16, 2025.
“I have instructed the relevant ministries in Indonesia to accelerate the opening of all airports to direct foreign airline connections to our airports, many of which still need to be opened,” Prabowo stated.
He stressed that Indonesia would also improve infrastructure and safety mechanisms to support this plan. “Essentially, I want to see easier and faster access to our airports,” he added.
Prabowo’s focus on expanding airport access is aimed at increasing air traffic volumes that declined during the pandemic. He hopes this strategy will quickly restore traffic to previous levels and push it even higher.
Prime Minister Wong welcomed the initiative and expressed his agreement with Indonesia’s efforts to enhance connectivity. He was particularly pleased with the opening of new flight routes from Singapore to Padang, South Sumatra, and Kertajati, West Java.
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“Both President Prabowo and I agree on the importance of facilitating more people-to-people exchanges. Improved connectivity will support this goal. We welcome the new flights from Singapore to Padang and Kertajati,” said Wong.
At the ministerial level, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong fully supported the move to strengthen air connectivity. They emphasized the importance of deepening business connections to further encourage trade, investment, and people flows between both countries.
Airlangga also highlighted the potential of the new flight routes to directly impact tourism. “The opening of new direct flight routes to tourist destinations such as Labuan Bajo will significantly increase tourist visits and help grow the surrounding local economies,” he said.
Tourism remains a key pillar of both nations’ economies. In 2024, Indonesia ranked as Singapore’s second-largest source of tourists, with 2.5 million visitors. Meanwhile, Singapore was the third-largest source of foreign tourists for Indonesia, with 1.4 million visitors recorded.
The two countries are working to strengthen this sector through collaborative programs like twinning destinations, cruise packages, and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions). These initiatives are expected to sustain and even increase the flow of tourists between Indonesia and Singapore.
“The cruise program will offer great benefits with new routes from Singapore to major cities and tourist spots in Indonesia, such as Belitung and other popular destinations,” Airlangga added.
