Pattimura Airport

Pattimura International Airport Bandar Udara Internasional Pattimura
IATA: AMQ – ICAO: WAPP
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Government of Indonesia
Operator	PT Angkasa Pura I
Serves	Ambon
Location	Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia
Time zone	WIT (UTC+09:00)
Elevation AMSL	33 ft / 10 m
Coordinates	03°42′36.95″S 128°05′20.89″E / 3.7102639°S 128.0891361°E / -3.7102639; 128.0891361
Website	http://www.pattimura-airport.co.id
Map
AMQ Show map of Indonesia Maluku AMQ Show map of Indonesia Location of the airport in Maluku
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 04/22 2,500 8,202 Asphalt
Statistics (2011)
Passengers 817.666 Aircraft movements 11.315 Cargo 3.103.972
Sources: List of the busiest airports in Indonesia

Pattimura International Airport is an airport in Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia (IATA: AMQ, ICAO: WAPP). The airport was named after Pattimura, regarded a national hero in Indonesia who fought against the Dutch in 1816.

History

Pattimura International Airport is located in the northwest of the city of Ambon, about 34 kilometers from the city of Ambon. This service is a legacy of the Netherlands, was established in 1939. In 1942, the airport was captured by the Japanese and used as a base for the Japanese army to do battle against the allied forces in the Pacific. After the independence of Indonesia was proclaimed, airfield Pattimura used by military air force as an air base. This situation lasted until August 1, 1962. That year, the government formed a working unit in charge of organizing the civil aviation maintenance and operation of airports for the benefit of civil air transport. At the same time, the Pattimura Airport is operated as an Air Force Air Base. Based on the Joint Decree of the Minister of Defense / Armed Forces Commander, Minister of Transportation and Minister of Finance, in 1975, Pattimura airport designated as civilian airfield and fully controlled by the Department of Transportation. In 1979, the airport Pattimura Airport designated as Class II. Since 1985, changed its status to Class I. Subsequently, in September 1988, with the formation of the Department of Transportation Office of Maluku province, the Organization Unit Pattimura Airport into UPT Maluku Regional Office of the Department of Transportation. On October 11, 1995, the status of the management of the Pattimura Airport transferred to PT. Angkasa Pura I (Persero), as the State Owned Enterprises by the authority as a manager of several airports in the central and eastern Indonesia.

Facilities

This airport is located 36 kilometers from the city of Ambon.^[1] The airport has an immigration office, a quarantine facility, a tax office, a cargo storage building, several small restaurants, public pay phones, and a post office.

Free wi-fi internet is available throughout the airport facility.

There are multiple ATM's available outside the terminal building near the Damri bus waiting place. The banks that have ATM's at the Ambon airport include: Bank Mandiri, Bank BNI, Bank BRI, Bank Maluku and Bank BCA.

The international terminal is 1,200 m² (gates C & D) and has an annual capacity of 70,000 passengers. The domestic terminal is 7,393 m² (gates A & B) and has an annual capacity of 406,000 passengers.

Currently there are no regularly scheduled international flights to or from Ambon, so the international terminal is used for domestic flights which are operated with larger airplanes and can make use of the 2 jet bridges for easier loading and unloading of the airplanes – especially during rain.

The cargo terminal size is 1,192 m². The outside parking area is 8,574 m².^[2]

Airport Tax

When flying in Indonesia, the airport tax is usually included in the ticket price, except for a few small airlines. After you check-in and get your boarding pass, if you are flying one of these small airlines, you will need to pay the airport tax at a booth on the way to the gate. The airport tax is Rp 30,000 per person for departures from Pattimura Airport.^[3]

Ground transportation

Transport from Pattimura Airport to Ambon City center is possible through the following options:

• Taxi

Taxis are located outside the terminal, and are unmarked cars and vans. There are no marked/metered taxis in Ambon. There are always plenty of drivers anxious to take you anywhere you want to go. The drive around the bay to the city takes about an hour and costs Rp 150,000 – Rp 200,000. Usually the later in the day it is, the more likely the taxi drivers are willing to take a lower price.

• Angkot-Ferry

As an alternative, you can also walk to the road and take an angkot to the Poka Ferry for Rp 3,500, and take the ferry to Galala for Rp 1,400, and then take an angkot from Galala into town for about Rp 3,000 depending on where in town you are going. This way also takes about an hour.

• Bus

Damri bus company operates 4 times daily between the airport and Ambon city with a cost of Rp 35,000.^[4] Bus routes from the airport to Ambon City center takes you through these routes: Bandara – Hative Besar – Wayame – Rumah Tiga – Waiheru – Nania – Passo – Lateri – Halong – Galala – Batu Merah – Kantor DPRD – Hotel Manise – Hotel Amboina – Tugu Trikora – Mangga Dua – Kantor Jasindo – Hotel Abd. Alie – AY Patti – Lapangan Merdeka.

The bus routes from the city center to the airport are as follows: Lapangan Merdeka – Swalayan Citra – Batu Merah – Galala – Halong – Lateri – Passo – Nania – Waiheru – Rumah Tiga – Wayame – Hative Besar – Bandara Pattimura.

• Motorcycle Taxi - Ojek

If the weather is nice you can take a motorcycle taxi. Just walk out of the airport and say "ojek" and you will find a motorcycle taxi driver ready and waiting. Be sure and agree on a price before you depart. If you are going to town, expect to pay at least Rp 30,000. This is the fastest way to get to town from the airport.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Former Foreign Route

Since 1998, there has been no international routes operating out of the Pattimura International Airport. Previously there was a flight from Ambon to Darwin, Australia. There has been occasional flights to Darwin at the time of the various boating events, but no regularly scheduled international flights since 1998. Recently there has been talk of resuming international flights out of Ambon, but nothing specific has been announced yet.^[6]

Incidents

• On 24 July 1992, Mandala Airlines Flight 660 crashed when on approach to Pattimura Airport. All 70 passengers and crew on board were killed.
• On 7 June 1997, a Merpati Nusantara Airlines flight collided with a tree on approach but was able to land safely.^[7]
• On 2 January 2007, Lion Air Flight JT 797 skidded on the runway stopping just 4 meters before the end of the runway. Neither the plane nor any of the passengers were injured, but a runway light was damaged. The accident occurred at 8:14am during heavy rains.^[8]

References