El Tari Airport
El Tari Airport — formerly Penfui Airport — is a domestic airport in Kupang on the island of Timor in the province of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The airport is named after Elias "El" Tari, an Indonesian Army officer from Savu who also served as the governor of East Nusa Tenggara from 1966 to 1978. The airport's ICAO code was changed from WRKK to WATT in 2004. As of December 2018, there were at least 258 outbound flights per week from the airport.
The airport serves as the main gateway to West Timor and East Nusa Tenggara, offering flights to major Indonesian cities such as Jakarta and Surabaya, as well as inter-provincial routes within East Nusa Tenggara. The airport previously also operated international flights to Dili in East Timor and Darwin in Australia. In addition to serving civilian flights, the airport also functions as a Type A military airbase for the Indonesian Air Force and also as a base for the Indonesian Navy's Naval Aviation Center. Its strategic location near the Australian and East Timorese borders makes it a crucial military asset. Plans are underway to establish new squadrons of combat aircraft for the Indonesian Air Force, which will be headquartered in Kupang to enhance border security.
History
The airport has been in operation since 1928, during the Dutch colonial period. At that time, an aircraft piloted by American aviator Lamij Johnson became the first to land at the airfield, making a transit stop before continuing on to Australia. The airport was originally named Penfui Airfield. The word Penfui itself means "corn forest," derived from the Timorese words "pena" meaning "corn" and "fui" meaning "forest." The name reflected the area surrounding the airfield at the time, which was largely planted with corn.Between 1939 and 1941, the airfield was upgraded and developed by Australian forces in anticipation of a potential Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies. Its strategic proximity to Australia made it a valuable asset to the Allied forces during World War II. Following the Round Table Conference in 1949, Penfui Airfield was officially handed over by the Dutch military to the Government of Indonesia on May 6, 1950.
With growing demand for air travel in the 1960s, the airfield began accommodating Garuda Indonesia's DC-3 aircraft. At that time, flight operations and air traffic management were overseen by the Indonesian Air Force, as a dedicated civil aviation authority had not yet been established.
In 1988, the airport was officially renamed to its current name, in honor of Elias Tari, the second governor of East Nusa Tenggara, who served from 1966 to 1978. Management of the airport was later transferred to PT Angkasa Pura I in 1999.
The airport once served international flights to neighboring countries such as Dili in East Timor and Darwin in Australia. However, the route to Darwin was discontinued in 2008. On April 2, 2024, the Ministry of Transportation revoked the airport's international status due to the absence of active international flights. The East Nusa Tenggara government has made efforts to reactivate the Kupang-Darwin route, though these efforts have yet to come to fruition.
In 2025. It is announced that the communter airline Wings Air will serve international flight from Kupang to Dili, East Timor and was scheduled to operate using ATR-72-600 aircraft in March 2026. which marks the resumption of international flights from the airport.
Facilities and development
A major expansion of the airport was completed in 2020 at a cost of approximately 17 billion Rupiah. The project included the construction of a new terminal, an expanded apron, as well as improvements to the runway and lighting. Following the expansion, the airport now features a terminal spanning 16,424 m², with a capacity to handle up to 2 million passengers annually. The apron, covering 58,469 m², can accommodate up to 17 narrow-bodied aircraft. Previously, the old terminal had an annual capacity of just 1.3 million passengers, while the old apron, covering only 42,525 m², could accommodate just 12 narrow-bodied aircraft. Additionally, the airport is equipped with 2 jet bridges, 4 conveyor belts, 20 check-in counters, and offers parking for up to 508 cars and 236 motorcycles.Airlines and destinations
Passenger
'''Notes:'''Accidents and incidents
- On 27 November 2009, Batavia Air Flight 711, operated by a Boeing 737-400 made an emergency landing after a problem was discovered with the landing gear. The crew and passengers on board remained unhurt.
- On 2 December 2009, Merpati Nusantara Airlines Fokker 100 PK-MJD made an emergency landing when the left main gear failed to extend. There were no injuries among the passengers and crew on board.
- On 10 June 2013, Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 6517, a Xian MA60 operated by Merpati Nusantara Airlines suffered a structural failure and crashed on the runway after a hard landing. No one was killed in the crash, but 25 people were injured. 5, including the Captain, was seriously injured. An investigation by the NTSC found that the pilot moved the throttle to the way back, causing the aircraft to lose lift. The crash was the second hull loss of a Xi'an MA60 operated by Merpati.
- On 21 December 2015 a Kalstar Aviation Embraer ERJ-195 PK-KDC operating a flight from Ende to Surabaya via Kupang overshot the runway at El Tari Airport in Kupang.