Lembang tourism players welcome Husein Sastranegara Airport reactivation

Tourism businesses in the Lembang area of West Bandung, West Java, have welcomed the plan to reactivate commercial flights at Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung, saying it will boost tourist numbers and drive local tourism. Public Relations representative for Floating Market Lembang, Intania Setiati, said in Bandung on Saturday that direct flights to Bandung would make it easier for foreign tourists to visit Lembang without having to travel further from other airports. “Our hope, of course, is that with direct flights to Husein Sastranegara Airport, foreign tourists’ interest in visiting Lembang will increase again because access becomes much easier,” she said. She noted that before commercial flights were diverted to Kertajati International Airport in 2023, foreign tourists from Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, China, and several other countries were already significant contributors to tourist visits in the Lembang area. She said the reactivation of Husein Sastranegara Airport is a momentum to revive enthusiasm, especially among foreign tourists, whose numbers she said had declined because access to Bandung became longer. She believes the reopening of flights at Husein Airport will cut travel time and costs for tourists, potentially increasing visits to the Lembang area. “Visitor numbers could potentially increase again if there are direct flights to Bandung because it can reduce costs and time. Our hope is that international flights will also be reopened alongside domestic flights,” she said. Moreover, tourist visits are now seen to be gradually recovering in recent months amid numerous long holiday periods in May. This is reflected in data from the West Bandung Regency Tourism and Culture Office, which recorded 83,014 tourists visiting 15 tourist attractions in May 2026, with the majority of visits in the Lembang, Parongpong, and Cisarua areas, which are the centre of tourist destinations in the region. The plan to reactivate Husein Sastranegara Airport is a follow-up to President Prabowo Subianto’s directive for the airport to resume serving commercial flights starting September 2026 to strengthen connectivity, support the tourism sector, and drive the economy of Greater Bandung. In anticipation of a potential increase in tourist visits, the West Bandung Regency Tourism and Culture Office continues to strengthen the implementation of Sapta Pesona at tourist destinations and to map the potential and characteristics of tourist attractions as a basis for regional tourism development and promotion. Meanwhile, the Bandung City Government has expressed its readiness to support the reactivation of Husein Airport through the preparation of supporting infrastructure and cross-agency coordination so that commercial flight operations run optimally when they resume.