Coordinating Minister AHY Pushes for Soekarno-Hatta Airport to Enter World's Top 10 by 2029

Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono is pushing for the accelerated transformation of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, so that it can rank among the world’s top 10 airports by 2029. During a ministerial-level coordination meeting on strengthening airport ecosystem governance in Jakarta on Thursday, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, familiarly known as AHY, affirmed the government’s commitment to driving Soekarno-Hatta International Airport into the top ten global airports by 2029. ‘A few months ago we discussed our spirit to make Soekarno-Hatta Airport a top 10 airport. The top 10 best airports in the world by 2029. And of course, this must be followed by strengthening its accessibility,’ AHY said as he opened the meeting. He stated that the target requires concrete steps and cross-sector collaboration so that improvements in service quality, infrastructure, and airport management can proceed sustainably and measurably. According to AHY, the ambition to make Soekarno-Hatta a world-class airport has been discussed since a coordination meeting held at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali in January 2025. He assessed that Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has strong capital to achieve this target because its service quality and ranking have continued to improve compared to several other international airports. To support this effort, the government has asked the Ministry of Transportation to evaluate regulations related to flight slot management and various other aspects of airport operations. Additionally, he said the government is also encouraging the formulation of regulations that grant broader authority to airport operators to increase the flexibility and effectiveness of national flight service management. AHY mentioned that the government is also reviewing the strengthening of connectivity and the implementation of intermodal policies so that access to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport becomes easier, faster, and more comfortable for all service users. The transformation effort also includes improving the quality of airport infrastructure carried out through Angkasa Pura Indonesia (Injourney Airports) as the current main operator managing Soekarno-Hatta Airport. Digital-based management continues to be strengthened, including the integration of various reporting and declaration systems to enhance service efficiency and user experience within the international airport environment. AHY admitted he is optimistic that the ongoing steps will accelerate the transformation of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport into a global-standard aviation hub capable of competing with other top world airports. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Soetta) was ranked 22nd in the list of the World’s Top 100 Airports by Skytrax in 2026. ‘In 2022, Soekarno-Hatta Airport was ranked 51st in the world. And gradually, the ranking has become smaller. And we are now in 2026 at rank 22,’ AHY said. ‘Meanwhile, our projections for 2027, 2028, 2029, why shouldn’t we have the ambition to enter the top 10. And I think this is feasible, not something too far from our reach,’ he added. The ministerial-level coordination meeting on strengthening airport ecosystem governance, held by the Coordinating Ministry for Infrastructure, was also attended by Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya, Deputy Minister of Transportation Suntana, and other officials.