Raja Sisingamangaraja XII Airport is a domestic airport located in Siborong-Borong in North Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The airport is located approximately 47 miles (76 km) from Parapat, a town on the shore of Lake Toba, and serves as the main gateway to the lake and its surrounding region. It was developed to improve air connectivity and support economic and tourism growth in Lake Toba, one of Indonesia’s ten priority tourist destinations. Formerly known as Silangit Airport, it was renamed in 2018 after Sisingamangaraja XII (1849–1907), a Batak king and also a national hero of Indonesia. The airport serves direct flights to Jakarta and Batam. It previously operated international routes to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Singapore, but these were discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the airport’s international status was revoked by the Ministry of Transportation in 2024.2024, Bandara Internasional di Indonesia Tinggal 17 Bandara, Dipangkas Menhub, Ini Daftar Lengkapnya Page one and two.

History

Construction and early history

The airport was constructed by Japanese forces in 1944 during their occupation of the Dutch East Indies, as part of the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Initially built as a military airbase, it held strategic importance by facilitating the rapid movement of troops and supplies, supporting Japan’s efforts to control key cities in North Sumatra, and serving as a major defensive position against Allied forces. At the time, the airfield was a modest facility with a grass runway. For the remainder of the war, the airfield was subjected to Allied air attacks aimed at weakening Japanese control of the area.

When the Japanese surrendered in 1945, control of the airfield was handed over to local Indonesian forces. During the Indonesian National Revolution, the airbase was notably used to receive Indonesian independence leader and future president Sukarno, who was visiting the Tapanuli and Lake Toba areas in June 1947. When the Dutch launched Operation Kraai in late 1948, Dutch forces occupied the airfield, landing troops and several jeeps, with a force of two fully equipped companies. After the war ended, the airbase remained unused and abandoned for several decades.

In the early 1990s, the government began planning to reactivate Silangit Airport to promote tourism and improve access to Lake Toba and the surrounding area. After several decades of neglection, the airport underwent renovation in 1995 to support the growing number of passengers visiting Lake Toba. This included extending the original 900-meter runway to 1,400 meters to accommodate larger aircraft. On 9 March 2005, then-President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono officially inaugurated the newly renovated airport. It was named Silangit, a word derived from the Toba Batak expression Silang di langit or “Cross in the sky,” symbolizing salvation. Local residents believe that Silangit conveys the idea of physical and spiritual deliverance, particularly in light of the suffering endured during the Dutch colonial era, which claimed many lives. As a result, whenever a child asked their mother about the whereabouts of their father, the response was often: Silang di langit i amang inang haporusan (“The cross in the sky, my child, that is salvation”).

Contemporary history

In 2010, the airport began commercial operations with the introduction of flights between Silangit and Medan, the provincial capital of North Sumatra. Since then, the airport has seen increasing use by tourists visiting destinations around the Lake Toba region. In 2012, management of the airport was transferred from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to Angkasa Pura II, which was later rebranded as InJourney Airports. Following the management takeover, Angkasa Pura II announced plans for major improvements to the airport, including extending the runway and expanding the passenger terminal's capacity. The company planned to invest approximately Rp143 billion in the overall development.

A major expansion took place in 2017, including the construction of a larger terminal and supporting infrastructure, as well as the extension of the runway to 2,650 meters. The expansion was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo on 24 November 2017. Around the same time, the airport was designated as an international airport on 28 October 2017, marked by the first charter flight to Singapore operated by Garuda Indonesia. Soon after, other airlines also began introducing international services, including AirAsia, which launched scheduled flights to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. However, all international flights were suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the prolonged absence of international services, the Ministry of Transportation officially revoked the airport’s international status on 2 April 2024. In 2025, the North Sumatra Provincial Government has proposed reopening international services at the airport to accommodate foreign tourists visiting Lake Toba, including potential routes to Malaysia and Singapore. These services would provide travelers with more direct access to the region without requiring a transfer at Kualanamu International Airport in Medan.

On 8 September 2018, under a regulation issued by the Ministry of Transportation, the airport was renamed to its current name in honor of Sisingamangaraja XII, a Batak ruler and a recognized national hero of Indonesia. He was known for his staunch resistance against colonialism and was killed in a skirmish with Dutch troops in 1907.

The airport was named the best airport in Asia-Pacific in 2020 (under 2 million passengers per annum) by Airports Council International.

Facilities and development

To support the growth of tourism, the government upgraded the airport’s facilities by constructing a new terminal, extending the runway, and widening the apron. With the inauguration of the modern, well-equipped terminal on 15 September 2017, the airport began offering a more comfortable and efficient experience for passengers. The terminal’s capacity was expanded significantly, from 36,500 passengers per year to 1 million. Initially covering an area of 500 square meters, the terminal was planned to be expanded to 1,700 square meters. The new terminal also introduced several facilities that were not available in the previous one, including Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine services, enabling the airport to begin handling international flights the following year.

The airport has full digital-based services, which include digital airport bus schedules, e-payment systems, a wifi.id corner and smart baggage claim – a facility to monitor the position of passengers' baggage. The airport is also equipped with tourism information kiosks that give a wide range of information about activities in the nearby area.

The airport has a runway of , which was extended from the original 2,400 meters in 2016 to accommodate larger aircraft and eventually to boost tourism growth in the region. There are proposals to further extend the runway to 3,000 meters to enable the airport to accommodate wide-body aircraft. Airlines and destinations

Statistics

+ Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics2006N/AN/AN/A2007N/AN/AN/A20085,589N/A7622009 3,644 53.7N/A612 26.82010 5,599 53.6N/A776 26.82011 6,421 14.7 N/A 842 8.5 2012 6,354 1.0 63 748 11.2 2013 12,544 97.4 N/A 1,208 61.5 2014 24,003 91.4 N/A 1,282 6.12015 17,784 25.9 N/A 953 25.72016 155,214 772.8 12 2,693 182.62017 281,354 81.3 122 916.7 3,787 40.62018 425,463 51.2 350 186.9 4,878 28.82019 376,797 11.4 713 103.7 3,732 23.52020 182,586 51.5 608 14.7 1,928 48.32021 205,446 12.5 2,444 302.0 2,190 13.62022 300,529 46.3 2,952 20.8 2,382 8.82023 448,157 49.1 3,522 19.3 3,310 39.02024507,176 13.23,129 11.23,387 2.3 Source: DGCA, BPS

References