# Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan Airport

Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan International Airport (Indonesian: Bandar Udara Internasional Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan) (IATA: BPN, ICAO: WALL), formerly named as Sepinggan Airport, is an international airport serving the city of Balikpapan and adjacent areas of East Kalimantan, located in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The airport began its new operational phase on 6 August 1997, with a new building and runway structure, replacing the old structure on the same site. The airport is operated by PT. Angkasa Pura I, which has an area of 300 hectares (740 acres).
The airport is the third busiest airport in Kalimantan after those in Banjarmasin and Pontianak. The airport was named the second-best in service in the world for airports with annual handling capacity of 5 million to 15 million passengers in 2018 by Airports Council International. With numerous buildings located around the airport and its only runway jutting out into the settlement, landings at the airport were dramatic to experience and technically demanding for pilots.

## History

The construction of Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman [id] Sepinggan International Airport started in the Dutch colonial era before Indonesian independence. It was used mainly for the Royal Dutch/Shell's activities in the Balikpapan area. The airport soon became public and commercial after its management was handed over to Direktorat Jenderal Perhubungan Udara of Republic Indonesia in 1960. Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan International Airport was finally managed by Perum Angkasa Pura I (PT Angkasa Pura I on present day) due to Government Regulation (PP) No.1 on 9 January 1987.
Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan International Airport had been renovated twice from 1991 to 1997. The first phase was started in 1991 and ended in 1994, to renovate the taxiway, passenger and cargo terminals and lengthen the runway. In 1995, the Indonesian government announced Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport as the fifth Indonesian hajj embarkation airport for Kalimantan region which also consists West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan province. The second phase renovation took place in 1996 to renovate the hangars, fuel depots and the administration buildings. The second phase was finished and the airport started its new operational era with the new buildings and facilities in 1997.
The notable timeline of the airport:
* Pre-Independence: Used by the Dutch oil company, Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij (BPM)
* 1960: Airport operation handed to the Bureau of Civil Aviation, hereinafter referred to as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation
* January 1987: Airport management transferred to Perum Angkasa Pura I
* 1991: Development project for airport facilities and aviation safety initiated (Phase 1)
* August 1993: Test operations begin
* September 1993: Airport officially opened
* 1995: Officially designated as the 5th Hajj Embarkation airport
* 1996–1997: Development project for airport facilities and aviation safety initiated (Phase 2)
* August 1997: Officially launched by the 2nd President of Indonesia, Suharto
* July 2011: New passenger terminal construction initiated
* 2012: Cargo terminal move to new building initiated.
* 2012: Office of Administration, Finance & Commercial move to new offices in the two-story building that has been built as a support facility for the Development Project of Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan International Airport.
* March 2014: New terminal building tested
* September 2014: New terminal building officially opened by the 6th President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

## New terminal

The new terminal was tested on 22 March 2014 with a capacity of 10 million passengers per year. It covers an area of 110,000 square meters (1,200,000 square feet) with a Rp2 trillion ($178 million) investment. It is the biggest airport in East Indonesia which overcame the overcapacity of 7.1 million passengers last year in only 1.7 million capacity of the old terminal. The new terminal formally opened on 15 September 2014. The Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan International Airport Eco-Airport is equipped with a water recycling plant, 11 trunk alleys, 74 check-in counters, 8 conveyor belts, 140,900 square meters (1,517,000 square feet) apron, air condition control of energy efficiency and 2,300 parking lots in a multi-story building.
However in 2018, Angkasa Pura revealed that Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport wastes significant amount of electricity and a massive energy consumers. The airport is being wasteful with air conditioning, consumes around 4 megawatts each day, making up over 50 percent of its operating cost.
The parking building also has high-energy consumption due to its design. The airport also has negative environmental effect in terms of waste production. It produces a large amount of garbage, generates around 12 tons of trash everyday.
For many years, baggage theft is common when going through Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport. One of the arrested employee stated that it was very easy to steal, with just a cotton swab. In 2022, Indonesian singer Dewi Persik also found that her possessions had been stolen after she had departured from Balikpapan.

## Airlines and destinations
### Passenger

| Airlines | Destinations |
| AirAsia | Kuala Lumpur–International |
| Batik Air | Jakarta–Halim Perdanakusuma (resumes 23 March 2025), Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Makassar, Pontianak, Surabaya |
| Citilink | Bandung–Kertajati, Banjarmasin, Berau, Denpasar, Jakarta–Halim Perdanakusuma, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Makassar, Surabaya, Tana Toraja, Tarakan, Yogyakarta–International |
| Garuda Indonesia | Denpasar, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Makassar |
| Indonesia AirAsia | Denpasar |
| Lion Air | Batam, Denpasar, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Lombok, Makassar, Medan, Semarang, Surabaya, Yogyakarta–International |
| Malaysia Airlines | Kuala Lumpur–International |
| Pelita Air | Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta–International |
| Royal Brunei Airlines | Bandar Seri Begawan |
| Scoot | Singapore |
| Super Air Jet | Bandung–Kertajati, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Makassar, Manado, Semarang, Surabaya, Tarakan, Yogyakarta–International |
| Wings Air | Banjarmasin, Berau, Malinau, Mamuju, Melak, Palangkaraya, Palu, Tanjungselor |

### Cargo

| Airlines | Destinations |
| Cardig Air | Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Tarakan |
| My Indo Airlines | Jakarta–Soekarno–Hatta, Shenzhen, Singapore |
| Pelita Air | Banjarmasin, Surabaya |
| Trigana Air Service | Jakarta–Halim Perdanakusuma, Manado |
| Tri-MG Intra Asia Airlines | Jakarta–Halim Perdanakusuma, Singapore |

## 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.

## Gallery

* Sepinggan old and new terminal
* Sepinggan hangar and Batavia Air planes, taken from Citilink, 2014
* Sepinggan Airport gate
* Silk Air Airbus A320-232
* Batavia Air Boeing 737-3B7, 2012
* Fokker F-28 Fellowship of Pelita Air, 2001
* McDonnell Douglas MD-11 of Garuda Indonesia, Sepinggan in 2001
* Indonesia portal
* Aviation portal