Matahora Airport


Matahora Airport , is an airport located in Wangi-wangi Island, Wakatobi Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The airport serves as the point of entry to the Wakatobi National Park, a major international tourist destination, and the surrounding environs.

Construction

Construction of the airport began in 2007 with an investment of 100 billion Rupiah from the Southeast Sulawesi provincial government. The airport was inaugurated on 22 May 2009 by the sitting Indonesian Minister of Transportation Jusman Syafii Djamal.

Expansion

A new terminal was inaugurated on 8 May 2016 by former Minister of Transportation Ignasius Jonan. The new terminal has an area of and can accommodate up to 150 people daily. New facilities include a more spacious boarding lounge, more modern check-in counter, arranged concession area and more hygienic toilets. Other land facilities include a building for the Rescue & Fire Fighting Services, a non-directional beacon, a quarantine building and a wider parking area for vehicles. On the air-side, the airport apron is now expanded to to cater for larger aircraft. A taxiway with an area of has also been constructed. Security-related facilities are also improved, such as additional security screening facilities, and the construction of security posts in the area of the airport.
Matahora Airport will be upgraded to an international airport to support the development of local tourism in 2019. The upgrade of this airport status because Wakatobi was selected to be one of 10 tourist destinations set by the government. To support the increase of this airport into an international airport, there needs to be a revamp like a runway. In 2017, the runway of Matahora Airport was long and will be upgraded to in length by wide.

Airlines and destinations

and Garuda Indonesia operating routes to and from Matahora Airport using ATR-72s.