Having briefly explored Thailand's main hub, Suvarnabhumi Airport, in the previous post, it feels only fair to share a glimpse of Indonesia’s own primary hub — Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. While Suvarnabhumi Airport sits just outside Bangkok yet serves as the capital’s main gateway, Soekarno–Hatta International Airport similarly lies just beyond Jakarta’s borders but is widely recognized as the city’s principal airport. Soekarno–Hatta International Airport is actually located in the Tangerang area of Banten Province, west of Jakarta, even though this satellite city is often regarded as part of the Jakarta metropolitan area. The only portion of the airport remotely connected to Jakarta itself is the Prof. Sedyatmo Airport Toll Road, which serves as its main access route. Despite frequent traffic congestion along this stretch, it remains the primary gateway from Jakarta to the airport. In recent years, however, another option has emerged to connect the airport directly to Jakarta’s city center — the Airport Rail Link (Kereta Api Bandara), which I’ll be exploring next.
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| My journey started at Rawa Buaya Station, a stop on the Jakarta–Tangerang commuter line |
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| This time, however, I took the Airport Rail Link, a direct connection between Jakarta's city center and Soekarno–Hatta International Airport |
Officially known as the Soekarno–Hatta Airport Rail Link, this commuter service connects the airport to Jakarta’s Manggarai Station, with several stops along the way, including BNI City, Duri, Rawa Buaya, and Batu Ceper. The service has been running since 2017, making travel to and from the airport much more predictable compared to Jakarta’s infamous traffic. The route uses about 24 kilometers along existing commuter tracks between Manggarai and Batu Ceper Station, before branching off onto a newly built line for another 12 kilometers that directly leads to Soekarno–Hatta Airport Station. The airport rail link is run by PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia, part of the national railway company KAI. The ride itself is fairly smooth, taking about 45 to 55 minutes from the airport to Manggarai Station. Trains depart every half hour, starting as early as 5:00 AM from Manggarai, with the last service leaving the airport at 10:42 PM—making it a convenient option for most flights. On my last trip, I boarded the train from Rawa Buaya Station, the newest stop added to the route just last year and conveniently the closest to my home.
The journey was smooth and hassle-free, and upon arrival at the airport, the station is directly linked to the Skytrain system, which shuttles passengers seamlessly between the airport’s three terminals. In addition to the airport train, Soekarno–Hatta Aican be reached via the toll road if you’re driving or using a taxi, with travel times from central Jakarta ranging from 45 minutes to over 1.5 hours depending on traffic. DAMRI buses provide a budget-friendly option with fixed routes from various points in the city, usually taking about 1–2 hours. Ride-hailing services are also widely available, offering a more flexible but similarly traffic-dependent choice for door-to-door travel.
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| The Skytrain system provides an efficient connection from the airport train station to the three terminals |
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| In Soekarno–Hatta Airport, the Skytrain runs landside only and no airside shuttles are provided |
From the three passenger terminals serving Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Terminal 1 is the oldest. Opened in 1985, it replaced the former Kemayoran Airport, which was subsequently closed. Terminal 2 followed six years later. Today, Terminal 1 mainly serves domestic low-cost carrier flights, while Terminal 2 handles a mix of domestic and international services operated by both Indonesian and foreign airlines. Hajj and Umrah flights are also concentrated in Terminal 2, especially during peak pilgrimage seasons. Terminals 1 and 2 were designed by Paul Andreu, the French architect behind Paris–Charles de Gaulle Airport. Their architecture reflects a traditional Indonesian character, combining the Javanese joglo-style roof with other cultural influences from across the archipelago. By contrast, Terminal 3 adopts a contemporary modern design, marked by expansive glass façades and metal frames. It is home almost exclusively to Garuda Indonesia—the nation’s flag carrier—and its SkyTeam partners, serving both domestic and international flights. As the newest and most advanced terminal, T3 offers spacious interiors, eco-friendly features, automated systems, and improved amenities. In recent years, the terminal has undergone further upgrades under InJourney Airports, the state-owned operator, to introduce more green and sustainable elements into the contemporary facility.
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| The Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower stands at only 61 meters, which has led to plans for a new tower that can better oversee the expanded apron area |
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| I was lucky to see the only aircraft in the Garuda Indonesia fleet with this nostalgic Indonesian Airway design |
Did you notice that there is always a dash in Soekarno–Hatta International Airport’s name? This is because the name combines two figures: Soekarno (1901–1970), Indonesia’s first president, and Mohammad Hatta (1902–1980), the country’s first vice president. Since then, both are recognized as founding fathers of the Republic of Indonesia, and together they signed the nation’s Proclamation of Independence on 17 August 1945 on behalf of the people of Indonesia. Interestingly, the IATA airport code does not use JKT for Jakarta or any acronym of the official name, but instead uses CGK. This designation comes from Cengkareng, the area in West Jakarta near where the airport was built, and became the official reference point for its code. The code JKT itself had already been used for the now-closed Kemayoran Airport, Jakarta’s former main airport. Today, the Jakarta metropolitan area is served by two airports: Soekarno–Hatta (CGK) and Halim Perdanakusuma (HLP). Halim now functions as a secondary airport handling limited domestic flights, while still serving primarily as the main base of the Indonesian Air Force.
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| Terminal 3 stands out with its sleek glass-and-steel design, giving Soekarno-Hatta Airport a bold contemporary vibe |
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| InJourney Airports is bringing more greenery into the terminals, making travel feel a little closer to nature |
Soekarno–Hatta International Airport today operates with three runways measuring 3,600 meters, 3,660 meters, and 3,000 meters in length. With the opening of the third runway, the airport’s handling capacity rose from about 72 to 114 flights per hour, allowing it to accommodate more than 1,100 flights per day on average. This immense activity is matched by its passenger volume: in 2019, before the pandemic, the airport served over 66 million passengers, ranking it among the busiest airports in the world and the busiest in Southeast Asia. Previously, plans were made to build a new Terminal 4 to accommodate the ever-increasing number of passengers. However, the project was cancelled around 2021–2022 during the pandemic, with the focus shifting instead to upgrading and expanding the existing three terminals.
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| Flying over Pantai Indah Kapuk in North Jakarta, with its waterways, mangroves, and reclaimed islands, just before touching down in the metropolitan city |
Jakarta’s strategic position makes Soekarno–Hatta one of the busiest airports in the world in terms of flight connections. Domestically, routes such as Jakarta–Surabaya and Jakarta–Denpasar consistently rank among the most heavily trafficked, serving millions of passengers each year. Internationally, flights like Jakarta–Singapore and Jakarta–Kuala Lumpur are among the busiest air corridors in Southeast Asia, reflecting the airport’s role as a major regional hub.
With its growing capacity, ongoing modernization, and vital role in connecting Indonesia to the world, Soekarno–Hatta International Airport stands as a source of national pride. The continuous improvements not only reflect Indonesia’s commitment to providing world-class aviation facilities but also symbolize the country’s progress and aspiration to be at the forefront of global connectivity.
Soekarno–Hatta International Airport
IATA: CGK
Location Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Benda, Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia
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