To maximise the use of its terminals at JakartaThe airport authorities have followed the injunction of the Minister for Public Enterprises, Erik Thohir, who wants to rebalance the flow of traffic.
This will be the third time in a decade that a large number of airlines have changed terminals. The last time was in 2023, when AirAsia, Batik Air and Jetstar Asia transferred their flights from terminal 3 to terminal 2.
The back-and-forth of airlines is also the consequence of the cancellation, at the end of last year, of the construction of a fourth terminal. The new terminal was to have been built opposite Terminal 3, bringing the airport's total capacity to 100 million passengers... Now the focus is on optimising the existing facilities, which will eventually offer capacity for 60 million passengers.
Trading low-cost carriers for traditional airlines
The new breakdown provides for the installation of low-cost airlines in Terminal 1 and flights to Mecca at Terminal 2F (instead of Terminal 3). Until now, this terminal has been used for international flights by low-cost airlines. These include Singapore's Jetstar Asia and Scoot, Cebu Pacific, the AirAsia group and Sriwijaya. The reconfiguration of T2F into a Hajj terminal will begin in January. This raises questions about the transfer of existing airlines to other terminals.
The airport authority confirms that all traditional airlines will concentrate in Terminal 3which already serves as a hub for Garuda. This will mean, among other things, the transfer of Batik Air to this terminal. Citilink, Garuda's low-cost subsidiary, should logically move to Terminal 2 on a temporary basis.
The transfer of all the low-cost airlines to Terminal 1 is likely to take some time. The terminal is currently being rebuilt. It will double its capacity to 18 million passengers instead of 9 million.
However, this reconfiguration will not be fully completed until 2027. In the meantime, airlines are likely to continue to move from one terminal to another. Much to the dismay of passengers, who will have to be flexible. And to double-check the terminal allocation for their flight...
