Radin Inten II Airport

Radin Inten II Airport (IATA: TKG, ICAO: WILL), formerly known as Branti Airport, is an airport which serves the city of Bandar Lampung, the capital of Lampung Province, Indonesia. The airport is named after Radin Inten II (1834–1858), a nobleman from Lampung and a National Hero of Indonesia. Although it primarily serves Bandar Lampung, the airport is actually located in Natar, South Lampung Regency, approximately 23 km (14.3 miles) northwest of the city center. It serves as one of the main gateways to Bandar Lampung and the broader Lampung Province, offering domestic flights to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, and Batam. Due to the absence of sustained international services, the airport's international status was officially revoked in 2024 and reinstated in 2025. History Formerly known as Branti Airport—named after the village where it is located—the facility was originally built by Japanese forces in 1942 during the occupation of the Dutch East Indies, as part of their military operations in World War II against the Allied forces. It served as a base for various Japanese aircraft and warplanes. After Indonesia declared its independence, the airport was taken over by the Indonesian Air Force and used exclusively for military purposes, without any commercial flight operations. In 1955, the airport's management was transferred to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation after the Air Force relocated its base to Astra Ksetra Air Force Base in Menggala, North Lampung Regency. Commercial flights began in 1956 when Garuda Indonesia launched its first route between Jakarta and Bandar Lampung. In 1963, ownership of Branti Airport was officially transferred to the regional government of Lampung, which in turn handed it over to the Ministry of Transportation in 1964. The construction of the new runway and apron was completed in 1976, and the airport was officially inaugurated in June of that year with the arrival of a Fokker F28 aircraft. Between 1984 and 1987, the runway was extended by 330 meters, increasing its total length to 1,850 meters. On May 22, 1995, a new terminal was completed and inaugurated by the then Minister of Transportation, Haryanto Dhanutirto. In 1997, the name Branti Airport was officially changed to Radin Inten II Airport, in honor of Radin Inten II—a Lampungese nobleman who led resistance against Dutch colonization in the 19th century and was later recognized as a National Hero of Indonesia. In 2016, a major expansion project was undertaken at the airport to accommodate the growing volume of passenger and air traffic. This included the construction of a larger passenger terminal and its relevant infrastructures as well as a new four-story parking building. The expansion was completed in 2019 and was inaugurated by then-President Joko Widodo on February 6, 2019. The total cost of the airport's expansion and development amounted to approximately 467.6 billion rupiah. In the same year, the management of the airport was transferred from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to Angkasa Pura II, which is now known as InJourney Airports. International era (2019–2024, 2025–present) In 2019, the airport was designated as an international airport, with its first international flight launched on May 4, 2019—a route to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, operated by Citilink. However, the service was discontinued shortly afterward. The airport was originally intended to serve as a Hajj embarkation point, offering seasonal flights to Jeddah for pilgrims traveling to Mecca. Despite this, there have been no regular international flights since 2019, and on April 2, 2024, the Ministry of Transportation officially revoked the airport's international status due to the absence of active international services, although it stated that the airport could still be used for Hajj operations if necessary. In August 2025, the airport has been returned into international status. Facilities and development A new terminal was constructed between 2017 and 2019 as part of a major airport expansion project aimed at significantly increasing capacity and enhancing passenger service quality. The new terminal nearly triples the size of the old facility, expanding from 3,709 square meters to 9,434 square meters, and has a capacity of 3 million passengers annually. The new terminal is also equipped with two jet bridges. Other developments included the extension of the runway to 3,000 meters by 45 meters, allowing it to accommodate wide-body aircraft, the construction of two taxiways each measuring 123 meters by 23 meters, and an apron spanning 565 meters by 110 meters with 12 aircraft parking stands. Additionally, a four-story parking facility covering 2,200 square meters was built, providing space for up to 700 vehicles. Airlines and destinations Traffic Gallery Accidents and incidents On September 7, 1974, Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 126, a domestic flight from Palembang via Tanjungkarang–Telukbetung to Jakarta operated by a Fokker F27-600 PK-GFJ 'Semeru', hit a building while attempting to go-around in heavy rain and strong winds. Of the 36 people on board, 33 were killed, including four crew members. On March 20, 1982, a Garuda Indonesian AIrways Fokker F28 PK-GVK 'Cimanuk' operating a scheduled passenger flight from Jakarta to Bandar Lampung overran the runway while landing at Branti Airport during heavy rainfall. The aircraft came to a stop approximately 700 metres beyond the runway in a field and subsequently caught fire. All occupants on board were killed in the accident. On June 2, 1983, a Garuda Indonesian Airways Fokker F28 PK-GFV 'Selegan' operating a scheduled passenger flight from Bandar Lampung to Jakarta overran the runway while take-off at Branti Airport. At takeoff from runway 14, the captain realized that one of the engine failed. The captain abandoned the takeoff procedure and landed back onto runway. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the airplane overran, struck a concrete wall and crashed on a small hill located 138 meters past the runway end. Both pilot and a passenger were killed while 12 occupants were injured and 46 others escaped uninjured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair. On November 26, 2017, Wings Air Flight 1286, an ATR 72-500 operating a domestic flight from Bandung to Bandar Lampung, experienced a tire burst upon landing at Radin Inten II Airport. No injuries were reported among the occupants. On December 20, 2020, Lion Air Flight 173, a Boeing 737-900ER operating a domestic flight from Batam to Bandar Lampung, skidded off the runway upon landing in heavy rain at Radin Inten II Airport. All 125 passengers and 7 crew members escaped without injury. See also List of airports in Indonesia References External links "Airport information for TKG / WICT". DAFIF. October 2006 – via Great Circle Mapper. Accident history for TKG / WICT at Aviation Safety Network