Indonesia AirAsia (QZ, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) and Tigerair Mandala (Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) will not be switching their operations from Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta to Jakarta Halim FlightGlobal has reported. The publication said the AirAsia (AK, Kuala Lumpur International) subsidiary based its decision on a number of factors including Halim's limited slots, and the overall cost and impact on operations of switching from one airport to another. In addition, Halim's status as a domestic airport would negatively impact Air Asia' Indonesian operations given that more than 70% of its traffic is international. As a result, the need to commute from one airport to another would greatly impact the airline's marketability.
Tigerair Mandala on the other hand said splitting operations between two airports would increase its operational costs but did not completely discount the move.
Halim served as Jakarta's primary gateway until the opening of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in 1985, following which it was closed to commercial traffic. In a bid to alleviate congestion at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Halim airport was once more reopened to commercial traffic in January this year offering 60 flight slots per hour.
The airport is currently served by Citilink (QG, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta), Tri-M.G. Intra Asia Airlines (Jakarta Halim), Cardigair (7D, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta), Pelita Air (IP, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta), Gatari Air Service (Jakarta Halim) and Susi Air (SQS, Jakarta Halim). An application by national carrier Garuda Indonesia (GA, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) to begin flights out of the airport is currently pending.
