Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan International Airport (IATA: BPN, ICAO: WALL), formerly named and still commonly known as Sepinggan Airport, is an international airport serving the city of Balikpapan and adjacent areas of East Kalimantan, located in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The airport is named after Aji Muhammad Sulaiman (1838–1899), a former ruler of the Kutai Kertanegara Sultanate. Covering an area of 300 hectares (740 acres), it serves as the primary gateway to Balikpapan and East Kalimantan, and is the largest airport in the region. In the future, the airport will serve as one of the main gateways to Indonesia’s new capital city, Nusantara, and will be connected to it via a toll road. The airport functions as a key regional hub, offering regular domestic flights to major Indonesian cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya, and Denpasar, along with international routes to Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei. In 2018, Airports Council International named it the second-best airport in the world for service quality among those handling 5 to 15 million passengers annually. Due to its single runway extending into a densely built-up area, landings at the airport are often described as both visually dramatic and technically challenging for pilots.
In addition to its role as a commercial airport, it also hosts Dhomber Air Force Base, a Type-B facility operated by the Indonesian Air Force.
History
World War II
Prior to the war, the Dutch colonial government had already constructed another airfield in Manggar, which was used for commercial flights. Within days, Dutch forces collapsed. After securing the urban area, Japanese forces carried out mopping-up operations against remaining Dutch resistance and began rehabilitating Manggar Airfield on 26 January. This development was driven by the strategic importance of Balikpapan’s oil refineries. Originally named Sepinggan Airfield, it was named after the local area. The word Sepinggan comes from the phrase satu pinggan, with satu meaning "one" and pinggan meaning "large plate"—a symbol of unity and familial togetherness among the people of Balikpapan. The term originates from the Paser language, spoken by the Paser people who inhabit the coastal areas from Balikpapan Bay to Adang Bay, as well as the upstream regions of the Meratus Mountains. From 8 January to 9 July 1945, the airfield was heavily bombarded by Allied forces during the Battle of Balikpapan. On 2 July 1945, the Australian Army’s 2/14th Battalion captured the airfield with minimal resistance and immediately began repairs. The next day, on 3 July, the first Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Auster aircraft took off from the airfield. It remained in use by Allied forces until the end of the Pacific War. After the war, Manggar Airfield gradually fell into disuse, and development shifted to Sepinggan Airport due to its closer proximity to Balikpapan’s city center. The former site of Manggar Airfield has since been repurposed as an Indonesian Army base.
Due to overcapacity, with the old terminal capable of handling only 1.7 million passengers annually despite serving 7.1 million passengers in 2013, a new terminal was constructed at a cost of approximately 2 trillion rupiah. The construction, which took about three years from 2011 to 2014, resulted in a terminal with a capacity of 10 million passengers annually—more than five times the size of the old terminal. The opening of the new terminal coincided with the renaming of the airport to its current name, in honor of Aji Muhammad Sulaiman—a 19th-century ruler of the Kutai Kertanegara Sultanate who played a key role in initiating oil exploration in the area, helping to establish it as one of Indonesia’s wealthiest regions. The renaming had long been proposed by the then-governor of East Kalimantan, Awang Faroek Ishak. This name is the result of an agreement between the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (FKPD) of East Kalimantan, the FKPD of Balikpapan , the Government of Kutai Kartanegara Regency, and the Government of Paser Regency, following public debate and controversy surrounding the change or addition of the airport’s name.
For many years, the airport has faced several incidents involving employees stealing from checked baggage. In 2022, Indonesian singer Dewi Persik also found that her possessions had been stolen after she had left from Balikpapan. However in 2018, Angkasa Pura revealed that Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport wastes a significant amount of electricity. The airport uses around 4 MW of electricity daily just for air conditioning, which accounts for more than half of its operating cost. The airport generates around 12 tons of trash daily. Due to limited available land surrounding the airport, the runway extension is expected to involve land reclamation in areas around the existing runway. The extension will be able to increase the number of aircraft movements from 22 slots per hour to 40 slots per hour. In addition to managing aircraft flow, the runway will also be equipped with several exit taxiways leading to the apron. Terminal development will also include both the old and new terminals. Four Japanese companies—Japan Airport Terminal, JALUX, Taisei Corporation, and SECOM—have expressed interest in jointly operating the airport. These companies already have extensive experience in the construction and operation of major airports in Japan, including Haneda Airport and Narita Airport, as well as several international airports such as Beijing Capital International Airport in China and Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Mongolia.
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| Batik Air | Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Makassar, Pontianak
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| Citilink | Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Makassar, Surabaya, Tarakan
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| FlyJaya | Bone
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| Garuda Indonesia | Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta
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| Indonesia AirAsia | Surabaya (resumes 1 July 2026), Tanjung Redeb (resumes 2 July 2026), Tarakan (resumes 1 July 2026)
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| Lion Air | Batam, Denpasar, Makassar, Medan, Semarang, Surabaya, Yogyakarta–International
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| Malaysia Airlines | Kuala Lumpur–International
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| Pelita Air | Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta–International
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| | Bandar Seri Begawan
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| Scoot | Singapore
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| Sriwijaya Air | Tanjung Redeb
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| Super Air Jet | Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Lombok, Makassar, Manado, Semarang, Surabaya, Tanjung Redeb, Tarakan, Yogyakarta–International
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| Wings Air | Banjarmasin, Malinau, Mamuju, Melak, Palangkaraya, Palu, Tanjung Redeb, Tanjung Selor
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Statistics
thumb|A [[Batik Air Boeing 737-800 at Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan Airport]]
thumb|[[Wings Air ATR-72s at Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan Airport]]
thumb|[[Batavia Air Boeing 737-300 at Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan Airport, 2012]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="padding:0.5em;"
|+Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2006
|2,872,768
|
|23,814
|
|43,646
|
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2007
|3,165,211
| 10.2
|26,080
| 9.5
|45,520
| 4.3
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2008
|3,534,088
| 11.7
|24,149
| 7.4
|47,808
| 5.0
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2009
|4,311,310
| 22.0
|31,568
| 30.7
|49,792
| 4.1
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2010
|5,105,031
| 18.4
|37,973
| 20.3
|57,109
| 14.7
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2011
|5,680,961
| 11.3
|45,125
| 18.8
|63,387
| 11.0
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2012
|6,132,952
| 8.0
|51,752
| 14.7
|72,817
| 14.9
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2013
|7,195,016
| 17.3
|48,433
| 6.4
|78,486
| 7.8
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2014
|7,751,216
| 7.7
|57,728
| 19.2
|68,470
| 12.8
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2015
|7,374,517
| 4.9
|54,404
| 5.8
|68,370
| 0.1
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2016
|7,518,437
| 2.0
|53,644
| 1.4
|70,400
| 3.0
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2017
|7,380,350
| 1.8
|54,568
| 1.7
|66,254
| 5.9
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2018
|7,548,741
| 2.3
|61,901
| 13.4
|68,415
| 3.3
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2019
|5,429,716
| 28.1
|44,519
| 28.1
|56,765
| 17.0
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2020
|2,748,791
| 49.4
|45,865
| 3.0
|32,716
| 42.4
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2021
|2,610,230
| 4.0
|52,197
| 13.8
|29,269
| 10.5
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2022
|3,533,439
| 35.4
|47,501
| 9.0
|38,196
| 30.5
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2023
|5,118,328
| 44.9
|48,985
| 31.0
|47,517
| 24.4
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2024
|5,534,519
| 8.1
|56,500
| 15.3
|51,090
| 7.5
|-
| colspan="7" style="text-align:right;" |<sup>Source: DGCA, BPS</sup>
|}
Ground transportation
Bus
Shuttle buses connect the airport to various cities and towns, including Batulicin, Tenggarong, Sangata, Bontang, Wahau, Melak, and Samarinda. Additionally, DAMRI operates buses to the new capital city, Nusantara, via the Batu Ampar terminal. For local travel within Balikpapan, the airport is served by Corridor A of the Balikpapan City Trans, which connects the airport to Semayang Harbor.
Taxis
Bluebird, Primkopau, and Aerocab taxis are available at the airport for travel within Balikpapan. For trips to other cities, Primkopau and Aerocab provide services to towns such as Samarinda, Bontang, Muara Badak, and the new capital, Nusantara. Additionally, Gojek and Grab can be booked directly at the airport terminal.
Accidents and incidents
- On 4 July 1988, Vickers Viscount PK-IVW of Bouraq Indonesia Airlines was damaged beyond economic repair when the starboard and nose gear collapsed during a tailwind landing.
References
External links
- Persero Angkasa Pura I official site