Lede Kalumbang Airport

Last updated
Lede Kalumbang Airport

Bandar Udara Lede Kalumbang
TambolakaAirport.jpg
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner Government of Indonesia
Operator Directorate General of Civil Aviation
Serves Tambolaka
LocationTambolaka, Southwest Sumba Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
Time zone WITA (UTC+08:00)
Elevation  AMSL 47.85 m / 157 ft
Coordinates 09°24′34.98″S119°14′40.18″E / 9.4097167°S 119.2444944°E / -9.4097167; 119.2444944
Map
Sumba Locator Topography.png
Airplane silhouette.svg
TMC
Location of airport in Sumba Island
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
mft
10/28 [1] 2,3007,546 Asphalt

Lede Kalumbang Airport( IATA : TMC, ICAO : WATK), formerly Tambolaka Airport, is a domestic airport serving the town of Tambolaka, the capital of Southwest Sumba Regency in Sumba Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The airport is named after Leonardus Lede Kalumbang, the first regent of West Sumba Regency, the administrative area where the airport was located before the establishment of Southwest Sumba Regency in 2007. [2] Located about 5 km (3.1 mi) from the town center, it is one of only two airports on the island of Sumba—the other being Umbu Mehang Kunda Airport in Waingapu—and serves as the main gateway to western Sumba. The airport is currently connected with several major cities such as Denpasar, Kupang and Surabaya.

Contents

History

Lede Kalumbang Airport was originally constructed by Japanese forces in 1945, during their occupation of the Dutch East Indies in the final stages of the Pacific Theater of World War II. [3] At the time, the facility was known as Tambolaka Airport. It was built to serve both as a defensive outpost for Sumba and as a strategic military base, supporting Japan’s logistical and operational needs in the region as part of its wider defensive network against the advancing Allied forces. Following the end of the war and Indonesia’s declaration of independence, control of the airport was handed over to the newly established Indonesian authorities.

The airport underwent major improvements in 1982, including the asphalting and repair of its runway to accommodate small aircraft such as the Douglas DC-3, Twin Otter, and CASA. In 1996, the runway was further extended to allow Fokker 27 operations. [3] Another round of strengthening and extension was carried out in 2005, bringing the runway length to 1,600 meters, making it capable of handling Fokker 28 aircraft. It was later extended again to 1,800 meters to accommodate Fokker 100 aircraft. By 2015, the runway of Tambolaka Airport had reached a total length of 2,300 × 45 meters (7,546 × 148 ft), enabling it to serve narrow-body aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. [4]

On 7 November 2022, Tambolaka Airport was officially renamed Lede Kalumbang Airport in honor of Leonardus Lede Kalumbang, the first regent of West Sumba Regency, elected in 1958. He played a significant role in the development of Sumba in the years following Indonesia’s independence. [2]

To accommodate the growing number of foreign tourists visiting Sumba, proposals have been made to upgrade the airport’s status to an international airport, enabling it to handle direct international flights. [5] However, as of 2025, this plan has not yet been realized.

Facilities and development

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
NAM Air Denpasar [6] , Kupang [7] , Surabaya [8]
Sriwijaya Air Denpasar [9]
Wings Air Denpasar, Lombok (begins 10 October 2025) [10]

Accidents and incidents

References

  1. "Direktorat Jenderal Perhubungan Udara". Archived from the original on 2018-06-30. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
  2. 1 2 Tena, Yanto (2025-05-27). "Bandara Tambolaka Resmi Ganti Nama! Ini Arti Lede Kalumbang dan Rute Barunya - Laman 2 dari 2". Tenaers.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  3. 1 2 Tena, Yanto (27 June 2023). "Sejarah Bandara Tambolaka Peninggalan Jepang yang Kini Berubah Nama Jadi Lede Kalumbang". Sumba Stori (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  4. "Mengenal Bandara Lede Kalumbang Tambolaka, Gerbang Wisata Sumba Nan Elok – Global News" (in Indonesian). 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  5. Lewokeda, Aloysius (2018-07-27). "Tambolaka diharapkan jadi bandara internasional". Antara News NTT. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  6. "Flight history for Nam Air flight IN641". flightradar24.com. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  7. "Flight history for Nam Air flight IN630". flightradar24.com. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  8. "Flight history for Nam Air flight IN671". flightradar24.com. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  9. "Sriwijaya Air Buka Rute Langsung Denpasar – Tambolaka, Mulai 15 Agustus 2025, Anggota DPRD NTT Yunus Takandewa Beri Apresiasi" (in Indonesian). Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  10. "Wings Air Buka Rute Baru Lombok ke Waingapu 19 Oktober 2025". agent.lionairid. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  11. B737 makes emergency landing after nav and comm systems failure - Aviation Safety Network - retrieved March 4, 2007.