Sultan Thaha Airport

Sultan Thaha Airport (IATA: DJB, ICAO: WIJJ), formerly known as Paalmerah Airport, is a domestic airport serving Jambi, the provincial capital of Jambi Province, Indonesia. Located in the Paalmerah suburb of Jambi, the airport is named after Thaha Syaifuddin, the last Sultan of Jambi and a national hero of Indonesia, and is located about 7.2 km (4.5 miles) from the Jambi city center. Serving as the primary gateway to Jambi and its surrounding regions, the airport provides vital connections to major cities in western Indonesia such as Jakarta, Batam, Medan, and Yogyakarta, while also supporting regional flights to nearby cities and towns within Jambi Province. The airport has previously served as a departure point for Hajj pilgrims traveling to Mecca and also operated seasonal flights to Jeddah for the same purpose. Additionally, there were plans to launch international flights to Malaysia and Singapore, although these have yet to materialize.^[3]

Sultan Thaha Airport Bandar Udara Sultan Thaha
IATA: DJB ICAO: WIJJ WMO: 96195
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Government of Indonesia
Operator	InJourney Airports
Serves	Jambi City
Location	Paalmerah, Jambi City, Jambi, Indonesia
Time zone	WIB (UTC+07:00)
Elevation AMSL	82 ft / 25 m
Coordinates	01°38′17″S 103°38′40″E
Website	www.sultanthaha-airport.co.id
Maps
Sumatra region in Indonesia
DJB Location of airport in Sumatra Show map of Sumatra DJB DJB (Indonesia) Show map of Indonesia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 13/31 2,600 7,874 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers 2,103,076 ( 18.3%) Cargo (tonnes) 3,458 ( 12.6%) Aircraft movements 8,220 ( 12.1%)
Source: DGCA[1][2]

History

Sultan Thaha Airport was originally constructed in 1940 by the Dutch colonial government and was initially named Paalmerah Airport.^[4] The name Paalmerah was derived from a boundary marker (a stone peg) used by the Dutch to delineate the airport's perimeter, which was later painted red.^[5] Following Indonesia’s independence, the airport came under the operation of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in the 1950s. At that time, the runway measured 900 meters by 25 meters and was surfaced with gravel, accommodating aircraft such as the Douglas DC-3.^[5] In 1978, Paalmerah Airport was renamed Sultan Thaha Airport, in honor of Thaha Syaifuddin—the last Sultan of Jambi and a recognized national hero of Indonesia—who resisted Dutch colonial rule in Jambi and was ultimately killed by Dutch forces in 1904.^[5]

Following the renaming, significant expansions were undertaken at the airport. In 1978, Runway Visual Aid Lights, including VASI, CCR, and REILS, were installed. In 1991, the runway was extended from its original 900 meters to 1,800 meters with a width of 30 meters to accommodate larger aircraft and meet the growing demand in passenger numbers and air traffic.^[5] As the airport continued to develop, additional lighting systems were installed in the lead-up to 1998. In 2000, the runway was further extended to 2,000 meters by 30 meters. In line with technological advancements, the VASI system was replaced with PAPI in 2005.^[5]

On 1 January 2007, the management of Sultan Thaha Airport was transferred from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to Angkasa Pura II, which is now known as InJourney Airports.^[6] At this time, the airport began serving larger aircraft, such as the Airbus A320. Since its management by Angkasa Pura II, plans for further expansion were made, and the runway was extended to 2,220 m x 30 m.

Sultan Thaha Airport will be the first World's Zoo Airport in 2015, integrated with the Taman Rimba Zoo which is only 900 meters from the new terminal. The airport will be set with animal nuances.^[7] Due to the access road to the airport takes a part of zoo land, the zoo will be 13 hectares only and according to Forestry Ministry Regulation, a zoo should be at least 15 hectares, and if less than the rule should be categorized as Taman Satwa (Animal Park).^[8]

There are proposals to establish regular international flights at the airport. In the past, seasonal flights to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, were operated to transport Hajj pilgrims.^[3]

Facilities and development

In 2012, the runway was expanded to 2,400 meters in length and 45 meters in width, which was further extended to 2,600 meters.^[9] This upgrade allowed the airport to accommodate larger aircraft, increasing its capacity from Boeing 737s to aircraft of similar size to the Boeing 757. Additionally, an Instrument Landing System (ILS) was set to be installed to improve landing precision, particularly in adverse weather conditions.^[10]

On 12 December 2011, the groundbreaking ceremony for the first phase of the terminal expansion took place, aiming to increase capacity to 1.6 million passengers per year. At the time, the terminal had a capacity of only 300,000 passengers per year, while actual passenger numbers had already reached 1 million. The expansion increased the terminal's size from 2,308 square meters to 13,015 square meters.^[11] The new terminal was officially inaugurated on 27 December 2015. It was equipped with two jet bridges and designed to accommodate up to 1.8 million passengers annually.^[12] The second phase of expansion was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo on 21 July 2016.^[13] This phase included a 10-centimeter runway overlay and an increase in terminal size to 35,000 square meters. Covering an area of 35,000 square meters, the terminal is complemented by a 26,500-square-meter parking area with a capacity for 436 cars and 415 motorcycles. The total cost of construction for the passenger terminal and parking facilities amounted to approximately Rp 126 billion. Additionally, Rp 110 billion was allocated for the apron expansion, 16 billion rupiah for the construction of the control tower and operations building, and Rp 67 billion for the development of basic infrastructure and other supporting facilities.^[14]

Another expansion was completed in 2019, involving the enlargement of the passenger terminal and the addition of two more jet bridges, bringing the total to four.^[15] The terminal’s capacity was increased to 2.6 million passengers per year to accommodate growing demand. The apron was also expanded from 38,000 to 46,500 square meters, allowing it to accommodate up to 13 aircraft. The total cost of expanding both airside and landside facilities was approximately 303 billion rupiah.^[16]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Batik Air	Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta
Citilink	Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta
Garuda Indonesia	Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta
Lion Air	Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta
Super Air Jet	Batam, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, Medan,[17] Yogyakarta–International[18]
Wings Air	Muara Bungo,[19] Padang,[20] Sungai Penuh[19][a]

Notes:

1. Sungai Penuh is continuation of Muara Bungo flights as same flight number

Traffic and statistics

Apron view of the airport

Traffic

Annual passenger numbers and aircraft statistics

Year	Passengers handled	Passenger % change	Cargo (tonnes)	Cargo % change	Aircraft movements	Aircraft % change
2009	805,136		4,349		6,786
2010	936,286	16.3	5,244	20.6	8,157	20.2
2011	1,014,983	8.4	6,116	16.6	7,857	3.7
2012	1,117,909	10.1	5,529	9.6	7,416	5.6
2013	1,282,244	14.7	6,547	18.4	7,640	3.0
2014	1,316,379	2.7	7,261	10.9	9,706	27.0
2015	1,168,219	11.3	6,088	16.2	9,486	2.3
2016	1,636,873	40.1	7,111	16.8	13,636	43.7
2017	1,757,085	7.3	9,110	28.1	17,404	27.6
2018	1,785,742	1.6	9,467	3.9	17,322	0.5
2019	1,395,842	21.8	8,544	9.7	15,332	11.5
2020	557,826	60.0	5,276	38.2	7,841	48.9
2021	430,287	22.9	3,718	29.5	5,637	28.1
2022	834,542	94.0	3,958	6.5	7,332	30.1
2023	987,673	18.3	3,458	12.6	8,220	12.1
Source: DGCA, BPS[2][21]

Statistics

Busiest flights out of Sultan Thaha Airport by frequency (2025)^[1]

Rank	Destinations	Frequency (weekly)	Airline(s)
1	Jakarta, Jakarta Special Capital Region	81	Batik Air, Citilink, Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Super Air Jet
2	Batam, Riau Islands	3	Super Air Jet
3	Medan, North Sumatra	3	Super Air Jet
4	Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta	2	Super Air Jet
5	Muara Bungo, Jambi	2	Wings Air

Gallery

• 
  Check-in area
• 
  Boarding gate
• 
  Baggage claim area

Accidents and incidents

• On 27 August 2008, Sriwijaya Air Flight 62, a Boeing 737-200, overran the runway. Eleven people were injured, and although there were no initial fatalities, a farmer struck by the aircraft on the ground later died from his injuries.
• On April 11, 2025, Lion Air Flight 603, operating a Boeing 737-900ER, was unable to take off due to its wheel becoming stuck on the runway’s asphalt. The cause of the incident was traced to a deformation in the runway's surface. Consequently, the airport was closed for two hours, leading to the diversion of all incoming flights.^[22]