Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport

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Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport

Bandar Udara Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie
Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport.jpg
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner Government of Indonesia
Operator Ministry of Transportation
Serves Palu
LocationPalu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
Time zone WITA (UTC+08:00)
Elevation  AMSL 77.4 m / 254 ft
Coordinates 00°55′07″S119°54′35″E / 0.91861°S 119.90972°E / -0.91861; 119.90972
Website www.bandaramutiarasaj.com
Maps
LocationSulawesi.svg
Sulawesi region in Indonesia
Sulawesi location map plain.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
PLW/WAFF
Location of airport in Central Sulawesi / Indonesia
Indonesia location map.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
PLW/WAFF
PLW/WAFF (Indonesia)
Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
mft
15/332,5108,235 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers777,572 (Increase2.svg 18.8%)
Cargo (tonnes)11,023 (Decrease2.svg 8.6%)
Aircraft movements7,736 (Increase2.svg 6.1%)
Source: DGCA [1] [2]

Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport( IATA : PLW, ICAO : WAFF, formerly WAML), formerly known as Masovu Airport, is an airport near Palu, the capital city of the province of Central Sulawesi on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. As the largest airport in Central Sulawesi, Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport serves as the primary gateway to Palu and its surrounding areas. The airport offers connections to major cities across Indonesia, including Jakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar, as well as regional flights to other cities and towns in Sulawesi.

Contents

The airport's name consists of two parts: Mutiara and SIS Al-Jufrie. Mutiara means "pearl" in Indonesian, while SIS Al-Jufrie is an abbreviation of Sayyid Idrus bin Salim Al-Jufri, an Arab-Indonesian religious leader from Central Sulawesi. He was a prominent Islamic missionary in the region until his death in Palu in 1969. SIS Al-Jufri also founded Alkhairaat, a religious organization that grew and flourished across eastern Indonesia. [3]

History

The airport was built in 1954 by the Central Sulawesi regional government. At the time, the area was still under the jurisdiction of Donggala Regency. [4] It was named Masowu or Masovu, which in the local Kaili language means "dusty." The name reflected the airfield's surroundings, where dust would be stirred up whenever an aircraft landed. [4] The airport was renamed to Mutiara Airport in 1957, meaning "pearl" in Indonesian, during a visit by Indonesia's first president, Sukarno. The name was inspired by Sukarno's observation that the area glistened like a pearl as he landed in Palu. [4]

The airport changed hands several times, initially managed by the Donggala Regency government before its administration and oversight were officially transferred to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of the Ministry of Transportation on October 28, 1964. [5]

A new terminal, built with a government investment of 139.2 billion rupiah, was officially inaugurated on April 13, 2014, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Central Sulawesi. [6] On the same occasion, the airport was renamed to Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport, in honor of Idrus bin Salim Al-Jufri, a prominent religious leader from Central Sulawesi. [6]

On September 28, 2018, Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport sustained severe damage during the Sulawesi earthquake and was forced to close after large cracks, including one measuring 500 meters long, formed on the runway. [7] Additionally, the airport's control tower collapsed, and its navigation systems suffered extensive damage. Anthonius Gunawan Agung, an air traffic control officer, was directing a Batik Air flight, the last departure of the day, when the earthquake struck. [8] He was fatally injured after falling from the collapsing tower and died hours later. The airport reopened with limited services soon afterwards. [9]

The earthquake caused significant damage to both the runway and the terminal building. Reconstruction and renovation were completed in 2024, with the newly restored airport officially inaugurated by President Joko Widodo on March 26, 2024. The total cost of the reconstruction was approximately 599 billion rupiah. [10]

Facilities and development

Covering an area of 4,800 square meters, the terminal building can accommodate up to 800 passengers daily. [6] The terminal also has three jetbridges.

Mutiara SIS Al-Jufri Airport has a runway that is 2,510 meters long and 45 meters wide, allowing all types of narrow-body aircraft such as Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 to land. [10] The airport's concrete apron width is planned to be extended from 373 meters to 458 meters, adding 2 additional parking stands although the apron current length of 110 meters was not enough to handle aircraft larger than the Boeing 737-900ER such as Airbus A321neo. This expansion would enable the airport to accommodate additional flights in the future.

Airlines and destinations

Passengers

AirlinesDestinations
Batik Air Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Makassar [11]
Citilink Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta
Garuda Indonesia Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Makassar
Lion Air Makassar
SAM Air Pohuwato [12]
Super Air Jet Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, [13] [14] Surabaya [15]
Susi Air Ampana, [1] Poso, [1] Seko
Wings Air Balikpapan, Buol, [16] Gorontalo, [17] Luwuk, Manado, [a] [17] Morowali, Toli-Toli

Notes:

  1. Manado is continuation of Gorontalo flight as the same flight number

Traffic and statistics

Traffic

Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics
Year
Passengers
handled
Passenger
% change
Cargo
(tonnes)
Cargo
% change
Aircraft
movements
Aircraft
% change
2010697,614Steady2.svg6,439Steady2.svg6,430Steady2.svg
2011810,965Increase2.svg 16.28,359Increase2.svg 29.87,234Increase2.svg 12.5
2012846,643Increase2.svg 4.45,749Decrease2.svg 31.26,950Decrease2.svg 3.9
20131,012,387Increase2.svg 19.64,117Decrease2.svg 28.48,640Increase2.svg 24.3
20141,013,279Increase2.svg 0.13,958Decrease2.svg 3.97,876Decrease2.svg 8.8
2015749,553Decrease2.svg 26.03,433Decrease2.svg 13.36,368Decrease2.svg 19.1
20161,107,102Increase2.svg 47.73,553Increase2.svg 3.511,872Increase2.svg 86.4
20171,052,209Decrease2.svg 5.06,332Increase2.svg 78.211,848Decrease2.svg 0.2
20182,009,677Increase2.svg 91.07,189Increase2.svg 13.513,347Increase2.svg 12.7
20191,793,292Decrease2.svg 10.87,045Decrease2.svg 2.012,699Decrease2.svg 4.9
2020452,056Decrease2.svg 74.86,561Decrease2.svg 6.95,007Decrease2.svg 60.6
2021435,812Decrease2.svg 3.69,940Increase2.svg 51.55,518Increase2.svg 10.2
2022655,764Increase2.svg 50.512,056Increase2.svg 21.37,291Increase2.svg 32.1
2023777,572Increase2.svg 18.811,023Decrease2.svg 8.67,736Increase2.svg 6.1
Source: DGCA, BPS [2] [18]

Statistics

Busiest flights out of Mutiara Airport by frequency (2025) [1]
RankDestinationsFrequency (weekly)Airline(s)
1 Flag of South Sulawesi.svg Makassar, South Sulawesi31Batik Air, Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air
2 Flag of Jakarta (vectorised).svg Jakarta, Jakarta Special Capital Region28Batik Air, Citilink, Garuda Indonesia, Super Air Jet
3 Flag of East Java.svg Surabaya, East Java7Super Air Jet
4 Flag of Central Sulawesi.svg Morowali, Central Sulawesi7Wings Air
5 Flag of East Kalimantan.svg Balikpapan, East Kalimantan4Wings Air
6 Flag of Gorontalo.svg Gorontalo, Gorontalo2Wings Air
7 Flag of Central Sulawesi.svg Ampana, Central Sulawesi2Susi Air
8 Flag of South Sulawesi.svg Seko, South Sulawesi2Susi Air
9 Flag of Central Sulawesi.svg Poso, Central Sulawesi2Susi Air
11 Flag of Gorontalo.svg Pohuwato, Gorontalo2SAM Air
11 Flag of Central Sulawesi.svg Tolitoli, Central Sulawesi1Wings Air
12 Flag of Central Sulawesi.svg Buol, Central Sulawesi1Wings Air
13 Flag of Central Sulawesi.svg Luwuk, Central Sulawesi1Wings Air

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Bandar Udara Mutiara SIS Al Jufrie" (in Indonesian). Ministry of Transportation . Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Statistik Angkatan Udara 2023" (PDF). DGCA. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  3. Mutiah, Dinny (2 October 2018). "Asal-usul Nama Bandara Mutiara SIS Al Jufrie yang Sempat Lumpuh karena Gempa Palu". liputan6.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Towantja, Moh Awaluddin. "Sejarah Penamaan Bandar Udara di Palu Sulawesi Tengah Menjadi Bandara Mutiara dan Penanganannya - Kabar Palu". Sejarah Penamaan Bandar Udara di Palu Sulawesi Tengah Menjadi Bandara Mutiara dan Penanganannya - Kabar Palu (in Indonesian). Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  5. Amalia, Fadhila (21 October 2023). "Sejarah Bandara Mutiara Sis Aljufri Palu yang Disomasi Soal Karya Cipta". Tribunpalu.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 "Terminal Baru Bandara Palu Resmi Dioperasikan". beritasatu.com (in Indonesian). Berita Satu. 13 April 2014.
  7. Retaduari, Elza Astari. "Runway Bandara Palu Retak-retak, Digunakan untuk Darurat". detiknews (in Indonesian). Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  8. "Anthonius Gunawan Agung: Disebut 'pahlawan nasional' oleh pilot Batik Air yang pesawatnya diselamatkan". BBC News Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  9. Rahayu, Juwita Trisna (13 October 2018). "Bandara Mutiara SIS Al Jufri Palu sudah bisa didarati pesawat jet". antaranews.com (in Indonesian). Antara News Kalteng. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  10. 1 2 BPMI Setpres (26 March 2024). "Presiden Jokowi Resmikan Rekonstruksi Bandara Mutiara SIS Al-Jufri dan Tiga Bandara Lainnya". Presiden RI (in Indonesian). Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  11. "Batik Air Buka Rute Baru Makassar – Palu". KONTAN.CO.ID. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  12. Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Transport. "Bandar Udara: MUTIARA SIS AL-JUFRI". hubud.dephub.go.id. Ministry of Transport. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  13. "Starting January 3, Super Air Jet Opens 3 New Routes: Ternate, Jayapura & Palu". travel.detik. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  14. "Super Air Jet Opens New Routes to Ternate, Palu and Jayapura Starting January 3". papua.tribunnews. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  15. "Super Air Jet Buka Rute Baru Surabaya - Palu Mulai 19 Juli 2024". koranpagionline.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  16. "Wings Air Buka Rute Lokal Sulawesi Tengah, Palu - Buol". travel.detik. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  17. 1 2 "Wings Air Kembali Beroperasi Rute Penerbangan Manado – Gorontalo – Palu". mediabanten. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  18. "Statistik Angkatan Udara 2019" (PDF). DGCA. Retrieved 3 May 2025.