Kasiguncu Airport

Kasiguncu Airport
Bandar Udara Kasiguncu
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGovernment of Indonesia
OperatorDirectorate General of Civil Aviation
ServesPoso
LocationKasiguncu, Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia
Time zoneWITA (UTC+08:00)
Elevation AMSL5.18 m / 17 ft
Coordinates01°25′0.31″S 120°39′27.61″E / 1.4167528°S 120.6576694°E / -1.4167528; 120.6576694[1]
Map
PSJ
Location of the airport in Sulawesi
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
03/21 1,850 6,070 Asphalt
Statistics (2024)
Passengers965 ( 1830.0%)
Cargo (tonnes)0.001 ()
Aircraft movements204 ( 3300.0%)
Source: DGCA[2][3]

Kasiguncu Airport (IATA: PSJ, ICAO: WAFP) is a domestic airport serving Poso, the administrative capital of Poso Regency in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The airport is named after the village in which it is located and lies about 11 km (6.8 miles) from the center of Poso. It serves as the main gateway to Poso and also as an alternative point of entry to the surrounding regencies, including Tojo Una-Una, North Morowali, and Morowali, which have a growing mining industry due to the region’s mineral resources.[4] The airport currently operates flights to Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi, served by Susi Air, and to Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, served by Sriwijaya Air. In the past, airlines such as Wings Air and the now defunct Merpati Nusantara Airlines also operated flights to and from Poso.[5][4]

History

The airport began operations in 1974 and was inaugurated by Minister of Transportation Emil Salim.[4] It was initially managed by the Poso Regency local government before being transferred to the Ministry of Transportation in 1979. During its peak period in the early 1980s, the airport served regular flights operated by Merpati Nusantara Airlines and Cessna aircraft.[4] At that time, the airport was considered a lifeline for Poso due to the region’s limited land transportation infrastructure.[6] However, as land transportation improved, particularly between Palu and Poso, regular flights gradually declined and the airport ceased operations in 1995.[4] The airport's condition further deteriorated during the Poso conflict between 1998 and 2001. The conflict was one of the factors that left the airport abandoned until it was reopened several years later as conditions in the region improved.[4]

After ten years of closure, the airport was reopened on 13 July 2005, primarily due to increasing demand and the growing movement of people from other parts of Sulawesi to Poso.[4] Soon afterwards, Merpati Nusantara Airlines resumed the Makassar–Poso route before the airline ceased operations in 2014.[7] The route was later taken over by Wings Air, which operated ATR 72 aircraft.[7]

Between 2015 and 2016, the airport underwent a major renovation, during which a new, larger terminal was built and the runway was extended to 1,850 m to accommodate narrow-body aircraft.[8] The renovation was completed and inaugurated by then President Joko Widodo on 19 October 2016, alongside the renovation of two other airports in Sulawesi: Miangas Airport in Miangas and Tanjung Api Airport in Ampana.[9]

The airport was closed again between 2021 and 2024 due to declining traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Operations resumed in January 2024 when Susi Air launched a new Palu–Poso route.[10] Wings Air resumed the Makassar–Poso route in March 2025 after it had been suspended in 2021, although it was closed again a few months later.[11] The Makassar–Poso route resumed in September 2025, this time operated by Sriwijaya Air using a Boeing 737-500, marking the first time a Boeing 737 landed at the airport.[12]

Facilities and development

The airport has a runway measuring 1,850 m × 30 m, capable of accommodating aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 737. The runway was extended from its original 1,600 m × 24 m between 2015 and 2016 as part of a major renovation costing approximately Rp23 billion.[13][8] Other infrastructure developments included the installation of a navigational system and the construction of a new ATC tower, which cost around Rp4–5 billion.[13] An extension of the runway to 2,100 m was planned, with completion initially targeted for 2016, but the project has not yet been realized.[14]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Sriwijaya Air Makassar[15]
Susi Air Palu[16]

Statistics

Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics
Year
Passengers
handled
Passenger
% change
Cargo
(tonnes)
Cargo
% change
Aircraft
movements
Aircraft
% change
2007 2,040 1.36 396
2008 402 80.29 0 100 94 76.26
2009 1,431 255.97 9.56 166 76.60
2010 4,629 223.48 0.08 99.15 481 189.76
2011 10,197 120.29 N/A 496 3.12
2012 20,166 97.76 N/A 562 13.31
2013 23,813 18.08 N/A 468 16.73
2014 17,167 27.91 N/A 552 17.95
2015 27,251 58.74 2.44 782 41.67
2016 36,770 34.93 10.33 323.68 852 8.95
2017 30,482 17.10 11.89 15.11 736 13.62
2018 26,426 13.31 13.23 11.30 722 1.90
2019 23,320 11.75 34.14 158.10 668 7.48
2020 5,551 76.20 6.71 80.34 250 62.57
2021 453 91.84 0.34 94.90 16 93.60
2022 74 83.66 N/A 6 62.50
2023 50 32.43 N/A 6
2024 965 1830.00 0.001 204 3300.00
Source: DGCA, BPS[3][17]

References

  1. ^ Indonesia. "PSJ - Poso, ID - Airport - Great Circle Mapper". ID: Gcmap.com. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  2. ^ "Bandar Udara Kasiguncu" (in Indonesian). Ministry of Transportation. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Statistik Transportasi Udara 2024". Statistics Indonesia. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Towengke, Simson (2025-10-02). "Sejarah Bandara Kasiguncu Poso (1974-2025), Dari Merpati Sampai Sriwijaya Air". POSOLINE (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  5. ^ Widodo, Wahyu Setyo. "Wings Air Satu-satunya Maskapai yang Terbang dari Makassar-Poso". detikTravel (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  6. ^ Towengke, Simson (2025-11-03). "Gerbang Udara di Tepi Danau: Kisah Bangkitnya Bandara Kasiguncu Poso". POSOLINE (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  7. ^ a b "Ini Rute Merpati yang Dicaplok Maskapai Lain". detikfinance (in Indonesian). 10 April 2014. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  8. ^ a b Fauzi (2016-05-24). "Bandara Kasiguncu Poso Siap Dioperasikan". Antara News Palu (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  9. ^ Aditya, Arys (19 October 2016). "Resmikan Bandara Miangas, Jokowi Ingin Pulau Terluar Jadi Beranda". news.espos.id (in Indonesian).
  10. ^ Agustina, Dewi (9 January 2024). "Terbang Perdana Rute Poso-Palu Pasca Covid-19, Susi Air Bawa 1 Penumpang dari Palu, 9 dari Poso". Tribunnews.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  11. ^ Towengke, Simson (2025-03-22). "Wings Air Jelajahi Nusantara, Kembali Mendarat di Bandara Kasiguncu Poso". POSOLINE (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  12. ^ Towengke, Simson (2025-09-30). "Sriwijaya Air Sukses Mendarat di Poso". POSOLINE (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  13. ^ a b Darlis (30 May 2009). "Dana Rp 23 Miliar Untuk Renovasi Bandara Kasiguncu Poso". Tempo (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  14. ^ Malaha, Rolex (2015-12-21). "Bandara Kasiguncu Poso Gelar Simulasi Penanggulangan Darurat". Antara News Palu (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  15. ^ "Sriwijaya Air Buka Rute Makassar–Poso, Mulai Terbang 29 September 2025". palu.tribunnews. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  16. ^ @msaj_international_airport; (13 January 2026). "Hallo Sobat Aviasi!!! Menyambut awal tahun 2026, telah hadir kembali "Penerbangan Perintis Penumpang" oleh maskapai @susiairofficial di bandara Int. Mutiara Sis Al-Jufri" – via Instagram.
  17. ^ "Statistik Angkatan Udara 2019" (PDF). DGCA. Retrieved 3 May 2025.

1°25′06″S 120°39′23″E / 1.41838°S 120.6564°E / -1.41838; 120.6564

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