Soewondo Air Force Base Pangkalan Udara Soewondo | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Indonesia | ||||||||||
| Operator | Angkasa Pura II | ||||||||||
| Serves | Medan | ||||||||||
| Location | Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia | ||||||||||
| Opened | 1928 | ||||||||||
| Passenger services ceased | 25 July 2013 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 114 ft / 35 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 03°33′29″N 98°40′18″E / 3.55806°N 98.67167°E | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2012) | |||||||||||
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Soewondo Air Force Base (IATA: MES, ICAO: WIMK) is currently a military airbase in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Before 2013, this airport served commercial flights, and was known as Polonia International Airport (Bandar Udara Internasional Polonia) which was the principal airport serving Medan, about 2 km (1.2 mi) from the downtown; it used to serve flights to several Indonesian and Malaysian cities, along with a flight to Singapore and Thailand.[3] Previous international flights had been opened to Hong Kong, Taipei, Amsterdam, Abu Dhabi, Phuket, Chennai, Johor Bahru, Malacca and Ipoh.
At the end of its service as civil airport, Polonia was the fourth largest airport in Indonesia after Soekarno–Hatta, Juanda, and I Gusti Ngurah Rai, in terms of passenger numbers.[4] Passenger service charges for each passenger departing through the domestic terminal was IDR 35,000 ($4.1) and IDR 75,000 ($8.8) for the international terminal.[5]
All flights and services from this airport shifted to Kuala Namu International Airport on 25 July 2013.[6] Following the airport's opening, Polonia's ICAO code was changed from WIMM to WIMK, since WIMM is assigned for Kuala Namu.
Now as Soewondo Air Force Base, the airport belongs to the Indonesian Air Force. It hosts the Western Surveillance Wing including eight CN-235 tactical surveillance airplanes.[7]
- ^ "Airport information for WIMM". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF. - ^ Airport information for MES at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "Medan-Soewondo Air Force Base profile – Aviation Safety Network". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ Biro Pusat Statistik, "Perkembangan Pariwisata dan Transportasi Nasional Bulan Juli 2006 Archived 24 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine" No. 45/IX/1 September 2006
- ^ Ridin (31 May 2011). "Polonia finishes access road improvement". Waspada Online. Translated by Bangun, Ananta Politan. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011.
- ^ "Kuala Namu International Airport to operate July 25". 17 July 2013.
- ^ The Jakarta Post, 24 July 2013