Komodo International Airport Bandar Udara Internasional Komodo | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Indonesia | ||||||||||
| Operator |
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| Serves | Labuan Bajo | ||||||||||
| Location | Labuan Bajo,West Manggarai Regency,Flores Island,East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia | ||||||||||
| Time zone | WITA (UTC+08:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 228 ft / 69 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 08°29′12″S119°53′21″E / 8.48667°S 119.88917°E /-8.48667; 119.88917 | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  LBJ/WATO Location of airport in Flores | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||
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| Sources: DGCA[2][3] | |||||||||||
Komodo International Airport (IATA:LBJ,ICAO:WATO), formerly known asMutiara II Airport, is an international airport serving the town ofLabuan Bajo, the capital ofWest Manggarai Regency, located on the western tip ofFlores Island inEast Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Named after theKomodo dragon—an iconic species endemic to the nearbyKomodo National Park—the airport functions as the primary gateway to the park and other surrounding tourist destinations. In response to growing passenger demand and the region's increasing popularity as a tourist destination, the airport has expanded its route network. It now offers regular flights to major Indonesian cities such asJakarta,Surabaya, andDenpasar (Bali), as well as international connections toKuala Lumpur inMalaysia, andSingapore. The airport also supports regional air travel within Flores, with services to towns includingBajawa,Ende, andMaumere.
The airport was originally constructed in 1975 as a modest rural airstrip, serving only small aircraft on local routes.[4] As tourism toKomodo National Park steadily increased, the facility underwent continuous upgrades to accommodate the rising number of visitors.
Major development of the airport began in the early 2010s, including the extension of the runway from 1,850 meters to 2,100 meters, enabling it to accommodatenarrow-body aircraft such as theBoeing 737 andAirbus A320. Additional upgrades included the construction of a new passenger terminal and supporting infrastructure. Prior to these improvements, the airport could only serve smaller aircraft such as theFokker 50 andATR 72.[5] The first Boeing 737 landed on 13 September 2013—aGaruda IndonesiaBoeing 737-800 carrying then-PresidentSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who flew fromJakarta to visit Komodo National Park and inaugurate the Sail Komodo 2013 festival.[6]
In 2020, Indonesia's publicly listed air transportation services company PT Cardig Aero Service (CAS Group), in partnership with Changi Airports International (CAI), a subsidiary of Singapore’sChangi Airport Group, won thepublic-private partnership (PPP) tender for the expansion of Komodo International Airport.[7] The project, valued at approximately Rp 1.2 trillion (US$85.82 million), grants the consortium the right to operate the airport for 25 years, after which control will be transferred to theDirectorate General of Civil Aviation under theMinistry of Transportation.[8]
Between 9 and 19 November 2024, Komodo International Airport was temporarily closed due to the eruption ofMount Lewotobi.[9] The closure caused significant disruptions, leading to the cancellation of numerous flights and leaving many passengers stranded.[10]
On 2 April 2024, the Ministry of Transportation officially granted Komodo International Airport international status.[11] Following the status upgrade, the airport commenced its first international service toKuala Lumpur,Malaysia in September 2024, operated byAirAsia.[12] In March 2025, it launched a second international route toSingapore, operated byJetstar Asia. Additional international routes are planned for the future, including potential connections toAustralia andSouth Korea.[13]
On 27 December 2015, PresidentJoko Widodo inaugurated a new, modern terminal at Komodo Airport. The expanded terminal increased the airport’s capacity to handle up to 1.5 million passengers annually, a substantial rise from the previous capacity of approximately 150,000 passengers per year.[14] This development was expected to significantly boost tourism to Flores Island and its surrounding areas. Additionally, the runway was extended to 2,250 meters in length and 45 meters in width, allowing the airport to accommodate medium-sized jet aircraft such as theAirbus A320 and theBoeing 737 Next Generation series. Prior to this upgrade, the airport could only service smaller aircraft like the ATR 72 turboprop. The government invested a total of 191.7 billion rupiah in the airport’s development.[15]
Following the 2020 takeover of the airport’s management by PT Cardig Aero Service (CAS), a consortium including Changi Airports International Pte Ltd. (CAI) and Changi Airports MENA Pte Ltd., comprehensive development plans were initiated.[16] The airport is projected to accommodate up to 4 million passengers annually. As part of the expansion, the runway will be extended to 2,750 meters, and the apron area will be enlarged to 20,200 square meters.[16] The domestic terminal is planned to be expanded to 6,500 square meters, while a new international terminal covering 5,538 square meters will be constructed, along with a 2,860-square-meter cargo terminal and various supporting facilities. The entire development project is expected to require an investment of approximately 1.2 trillion rupiah.[16]
In 2022, another major expansion of the airport was completed and inaugurated by President Joko Widodo in preparation for the2022 G20 Summit and the2023 ASEAN Summit.[17][18] The expansion included widening the apron to cover an area of 31,000 square meters, providing seven parking stands—four for narrow-body aircraft and three for propeller planes. The runway was extended to 2,650 meters in length and 45 meters in width, while the passenger terminal was expanded to 13,366 square meters.[18] Plans are in place to further extend the runway by an additional 100 meters, reaching 2,750 meters, to accommodatewide-body aircraft such as theAirbus A330.[19]
Year | Passengers handled | Passenger % change | Cargo (tonnes) | Cargo % change | Aircraft movements | Aircraft % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 36,183 |  | 63 | | 936 | |
| 2011 | 130,113 |  259.6 | 161 | 155.6 | 3,142 | 235.7 |
| 2012 | 154,423 | 18.7 | 281 | 74.5 | 3,944 | 25.5 |
| 2013 | 184,380 | 19.4 | 254 |  9.6 | 4,558 | 15.6 |
| 2014 | 225,995 | 22.6 | 326 | 28.3 | 5,890 | 29.2 |
| 2015 | 200,212 | 11.4 | 267 | 18.1 | 4,525 | 23.2 |
| 2016 | 146,341 | 26.9 | 246 | 7.9 | 2,834 | 37.4 |
| 2017 | 460,697 | 214.8 | 883 | 258.9 | 7,798 | 175.2 |
| 2018 | 619,767 | 34.5 | 802 | 9.2 | 10,094 | 29.4 |
| 2019 | 711,706 | 14.8 | 777 | 3.1 | 10,872 | 7.7 |
| 2020 | 331,275 | 53.5 | 259 | 66.7 | 5,775 | 46.9 |
| 2021 | 363,865 | 9.8 | 1,982 | 665.3 | 5,692 | 1.4 |
| 2022 | 596,903 | 64.0 | 360 | 81.8 | 7,213 | 26.7 |
| 2023 | 942,194 | 57.8 | 1,744 | 384.4 | 9,062 | 25.6 |
| Source: DGCA, BPS[3][30] | ||||||
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Media related toKomodo Airport at Wikimedia Commons
