The airport area and runway are shared with Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base, a Type A airbase of the TNI-AU (Indonesian Air Force). The airbase is named after the former Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Roesmin Nurjadin. it served as the homebase of the 16th Air Squadron, which operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon,[3] and the 12th Air Squadron which operates the BAe Hawk Mk. 209 and Mk. 109.
The airport was seized by the Japanese during World War II, following the invasion of the Dutch East Indies and the subsequent Dutch capitulation. During the occupation, the airfield was used by a small squadron of aircraft from the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service. Owing to its strategic location near the Strait of Malacca, the airbase was considered a valuable asset, enabling the Japanese to conduct aerial patrols over the strait using aircraft stationed at the site.[4] Following the Japanese surrender, the airfield was taken over by Republican militias. As part of efforts to reassert control over Riau, the Dutch attempted to retake the airbase. On 2 July 1946, a Dutch B-25 Mitchell bomber conducted a strafing run on the runway in preparation for the assault. In response, the militias shot down the aircraft, killing 11 Dutch airmen. One surviving crew member was captured, treated for his injuries, and later transferred to Bukittinggi as a prisoner of war.[4]
The airfield also served as a transit stop for KNILM (Royal Dutch Indies Airways) on its Batavia–Medan and Batavia–Singapore routes. After Indonesia gained independence, the newly established Garuda Indonesian Airways began serving Pekanbaru with flights from Jakarta, making stopovers in Padang or Palembang. In the early years of independence, a new runway was constructed adjacent to the old airfield. Initially 800 meters long and designated with runway numbers 18 and 36, it was extended to 1,500 meters in 1950. By 1967, both the runway and the aircraft parking ramp were paved with asphalt to a thickness of 7 centimeters, and an additional 500 meters was added to the runway length.
In early 2010, the airport underwent its first major expansion with the construction of a modern terminal to replace the original facility built in the 1980s. The old terminal was demolished to make way for expanded parking areas. The new terminal features a contemporary design, four jet bridges, and a larger apron to accommodate growing air traffic.
Due to limited land availability and its proximity to the city center, the airport cannot be expanded further. Plans are currently underway to construct a new airport in Siak Regency to replace the existing facility, which is operating beyond its capacity.[5][6]
Facilities and development
On 16 July 2012, a new terminal worth Rp 2 trillion ($212 million) was inaugurated to accommodate 1.5 million passengers annually. The terminal is designed to handle eight narrow-bodied jets, such as the Boeing 737-900ER, and two wide-body jets, equivalent to the Boeing 747 jumbo jet, simultaneously. Spanning 17,000 square meters, the terminal features a larger aircraft apron capable of accommodating 10 wide-bodied aircraft—double the capacity of the previous apron. The terminal's design blends Malay and modern architectural styles, with its structure inspired by the shape of the Serindit, a bird native to Riau.
To meet the technical demands of a world-class airport, the runway was extended from 2,200 meters to 2,600 meters, and is also planned to be expanded to 3,000 meters in the future. The runway width was also increased from 30 meters to 45 meters. This expansion was part of the infrastructure development for the 2012 Pekan Olahraga Nasional, held in Pekanbaru.[7] Although the new terminal opened in 2012, two of its three jet bridges did not begin operation until late July 2014. Today, the airport features four jet bridges.
The old terminal was demolished to make room for the expanded apron. Additionally, a new air traffic control tower (ATC) was constructed to support the operations of the upgraded terminal.
Another round of expansion began in June 2013 and was completed in 2014. The current apron now covers 58,410 square meters and can accommodate up to 13 narrow-body aircraft, such as the Boeing 737-900ER, as well as wide-body jets, including the Airbus A330, Boeing 747, and Boeing 777. The development includes a parallel runway, and PT Angkasa Pura II plans further expansion to increase the passenger terminal’s capacity to eight million passengers per year. This expansion also includes the addition of three more jet bridges, bringing the total to seven. The airport is now intended to handle Hajj pilgrimages, particularly for Riau Province and Pekanbaru.
Awards
In 2012, the airport's VIP room was named the best VIP Room by PT Angkasa Pura II. The Indonesia Ministry of Culture and Tourism awarded the airport The Cleanest Airport Toilet consecutively in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, the airport was again named The Best Airport by PT Angkasa Pura II at Bandara Award 2013, held by Indonesia's Ministry of Culture and Tourism; it beat several prominent airports such as Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Minangkabau International Airport in Padang and many other airports that are managed under PT Angkasa Pura II.
On 28 April 1981, Douglas C-47A PK-OBK of Airfast Indonesia crashed on approach whilst on a non-scheduled passenger flight. Nine of the 17 people on board were killed.[15]
On 29 September 1999, a Mandala AirlinesAntonov AN-12 touched down 1300 meters short of runway 36 and broke in two. There were no fatalities.[16]
On 14 January 2002, Lion Air Flight 386, a Boeing 737-200, crashed on take-off and was written off; no one died.
On 14 February 2011, Lion Air Flight 392 overran the runway in Sultan Syarif Qasim II International Airport, Pekanbaru. There were no fatalities or injuries.[17][18] The plane tried to land three times but failed.[19] On 15 February 2011 another Lion Air plane overshot the runway. Concerned about the two incidents, the Transportation Ministry has banned all Boeing 737-900 ER planes from landing at Sultan Syarif Qasim II Airport when the runway is wet. Lion Air will obey the ban and will replace the planes with smaller Boeing 737-400 planes.[20]
Names in bold are international airports; names of international airports marked with ‡ have Visa on Arrival (VoA) facility Names of airports marked with ⬠ are exclusively or also served as military airbases
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