Jakarta: Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK)

[Ryan Soh 3]

Ahh..... Jakarta, the messy, dirty, sometimes unsafe capital city of the VAST archipelago of Indonesia. As one of my favourite capital cities in the world, for all it's flaws, it holds some of the world's most delicious cuisine discovery and awesome shopping one can ever hope for. The airport, like the capital city it was built to serve, is an opulent reminder of Suharto's brutal regime disguised with gaudy and intricate architecture. It was a marvel to gawk at when this airport was first opened in 1990s... But it has since fallen into disarray, not unlike much of the country. Still, these dusty walls and faded patterns of CGK evokes memories of a glorious time of the past and it looks towards a seemingly uncertain future.

 

Jakarta is sometimes as good as my 2nd home. I have amassed hundreds of pictures taken during my travels over the years to this drabby looking airport. But drabby doesn't mean it is all bad, to me, it gives the environment a certain charm and character. From the discoloured fluorescent lights and dark looking hallways with forbidding looking concrete walls, it gives you a very stark welcome to Indonesia - INDEED!

 

Without further ado, I present to you - JAKARTA SOEKARNO-HATTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (CGK)

 

ARRIVALS

 

Walking out of you arrival aircraft, you will be funnelled down this pathway towards immigration.

 

Baggage claim. It is not surprising that sometimes your baggage takes forever to come out.

 

Past customs into the public greeting area. You have to literally fight your way through numerous taxi touts as they will attempt to wave dubious looking laminated licenses in your face to prove their legitamcy. Piss off! I say!

 

Pick up area after exit.

 

Silver Bird, my trusted taxi company. It is slightly on the pricy side but it gets me to where I want to go safe, sound and in relative comfort. I normally ride from the airport to Pondok Indah which is a journey of roughly 45 mins in normal traffic. USD 30.00.

 

Other taxi companies will line up there but those not under the Silver / Blue Bird company, I won't trust them with my life.

 

DEPARTURES

 

Departure is situated on the upper level of the airport. This is the drop off.

 

More of the drop off.

 

You will have to say goodbye to your loved ones at this point because only those with valid tickets are allowed through to check in.

 

The tranquil and serene check in area.

 

Pass immigration into airside.

 

Antiquated FIDS.

 

Airside linking to airbridges satellites.

 

Departing passengers get further siphoned into little corridors like these leading to satellites that has 2 gates. In this case, this corridor only leads to D2, a traditional SQ gate at CGK.

 

DOMESTIC

 

The domestic terminal has only one level for arrivals and departure pick up and drop off respectively. It is often a chaotic affair when travelling on domestic flights and these pictures show no different.

 

 

Edited August 27, 2008 by Ryan Soh

[Ryan Soh 3]

LOUNGES

 

The flagship Garuda Executive Lounge. It is located opposite the tarmac view so not surprising there are no windows inside. Not one of my favourite lounges and the food offered is so-so... I go in there to spend 5-10 mins munching on nibblies but I am normally out in no time, prefering to walk around airside. I was told this is the best lounge and all other lounges just goes downhill from here.

 

 

 

[Seth K 3]

Ryan, love all the pixies, miss the airport so much.....kinda like the woody-felling of the whole airport.

Other lounges at CGK is pretty crap..

Is there security check at CGK at all? AFAIR I walked to check in counter(only pax), passport control, walk around for a bit then boarding gate. I dun remember any security check point. Kindly remind me where are they I'm just curious now

Edited August 27, 2008 by Seth K

[Ryan Soh 3]

Ryan, love all the pixies, miss the airport so much.....kinda like the woody-felling of the whole airport.

Other lounges at CGK is pretty crap..

Is there security check at CGK at all? AFAIR I walked to check in counter(only pax), passport control, walk around for a bit then boarding gate. I dun remember any security check point. Kindly remind me where are they I'm just curious now

1st security check is prior to check in, and 2nd security check is before you enter here...

 

[Andi C 0]

Ah... Bandara SoeTa...

don't know how many of my 'leg hairs' have already dropped there...

 

(FYI, 'Bandara' is short for 'Bandar Udara'. Bahasa Indonesia for 'Airport'.... Indonesians love short forms )

[Mohd Fuad Bin Rosli 0]

hi,

there are new immigration counters built in CGK, all passenger feed to that counters i think. things i dont like, peak hours mean slow q there, prefer the old one as one row of counters for one check in area.

[Ryan Soh 3]

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport

 

DOMESTIC Terminal A, B, C

 

They have the BEST viewing gallery in the region. All open air so you can smell the fumes and hear the scream of starting engines. Awesome stuff. Never have I seen one country have so many domestic carriers...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well missed campy livery, but good riddance as far as the company is concerned!

 

Rust buckets galore of airliners from yesteryears!

 

INTERNATIONAL Terminal D, E, F

 

Spotting is a challenge over at the international terminal. There are very little windows to provide a vantage point to look at the action out there on the tarmac. Therefore you need to really squeeze around the shops and cafes if you want to get a good view.

 

SQ is presently the largest international carrier operating out of CGK. Garuda has chose to concentrate their international flights radiating from Denpasar instead of Jakarta. Go figure...

 

One of the more interesting carriers seldom seen.

 

Day and night... SQ is every-present!

 

Late night arrival from HKG via SIN. This flight is IMMENSELY popular with Jakartans especially if they want to come to Singapore to shop! It leaves CGK first thing in the morning, and returns late at night.

 

Penerbangan Malaysia datangan Bandar-Udara CGK.

 

MZ's hardworking 737-200...

 

TG414 which was previously operated via SIN to BKK. Now it is flown direct.

 

Finally... Archives of CGK won't be complete without Garuda now, would it?

[Seth K 3]

1st security check is prior to check in, and 2nd security check is before you enter here...

Really? I remember the place in the pix but I know there weren't any security check point from check in to boarding or I would'hv taken pixies. Oh well, may be I just forgot thanx for the info thou

[Teoh Z Yao 0]

Really, Seth... The security comes just before you enter check-in area... Remember now?

[Desmond Loo 0]

Hi Ryan,

 

Excellent report. I note the 'world's most delicious cuisine' that you mentioned. Will we be getting a taster?

[Fitri Shukri 0]

Ahh..... Jakarta, the messy, dirty, sometimes unsafe capital city of the VAST archipelago of Indonesia. As one of my favourite capital cities in the world, for all it's flaws, it holds some of the world's most delicious cuisine discovery and awesome shopping one can ever hope for. The airport, like the capital city it was built to serve, is an opulent reminder of Suharto's brutal regime disguised with gaudy and intricate architecture. It was a marvel to gawk at when this airport was first opened in 1990s... But it has since fallen into disarray, not unlike much of the country. Still, these dusty walls and faded patterns of CGK evokes memories of a glorious time of the past and it looks towards a seemingly uncertain future.

 

Jakarta is sometimes as good as my 2nd home. I have amassed hundreds of pictures taken during my travels over the years to this drabby looking airport. But drabby doesn't mean it is all bad, to me, it gives the environment a certain charm and character. From the discoloured fluorescent lights and dark looking hallways with forbidding looking concrete walls, it gives you a very stark welcome to Indonesia - INDEED!

 

Without further ado, I present to you - JAKARTA SOEKARNO-HATTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (CGK)

 

Ryan,

 

I like the way you describe Jakarta, as a city of contrast.

 

I miss the hustle and bustle of Jakarta.

 

[Mohd Firdaus Bolong 0]

CGK....Go through it every 3-4 months...

 

Best place for airline liveries spotting....Airplane graveyards too...I love the airport except for the Immigration,seem to have animosity towards malaysian,most of the officers,but I can see why,our immigration officers aren't too kind to the Indonesians coming to KLIA either...I saw it a few times...

 

The airline lounges are okay,I really hope Malaysian airports can have payable lounges like CGK...We only have those at KLIA,the Premium Lounge...

[Ellist 0]

good pics! they dig out all my memories when I was based in Jakarta for my duty for the last 2 years...

yeah jakarta is indeed dirty, hazzy,unsafe(?)...but i love the ppl there a lot! Kind and friendly local ppl, world class hospitality( yes i do really mean it! Go try it yourself if not believing me! ) and it is way too far for us Malaysian to catch up!

I miss nasi padang and sate pisang a lot!

 

[Kee Hooi Yen 0]

 

Antiquated FIDS.

 

 

Notice flight GA416 to Denpasar has two gates, and one of the gate shares with flight GA156 to Batam

 

CGK's architectural is very unique, strong with its own identity. IIRC, the same architect did the airport design for Paris CDG terminal 2A-D too.

 

 

Edited September 3, 2008 by Kee Hooi Yen

[Ryan Soh 3]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/rai...ta/100_6836.jpg

Antiquated FIDS.

 

 

Notice flight GA416 to Denpasar has two gates, and one of the gate shares with flight GA156 to Batam

 

CGK's architectural is very unique, strong with its own identity. IIRC, the same architect did the airport design for Paris CDG terminal 2A-D too.

Not only the gates are different, they are departing from 2 ENTIRELY DIFFERENT CONCOURSES! "E" being the international one and "F" for domestic. Makes you wonder really... But hey, this is Indonesia where things do not always work.

[tsentsan 0]

2 from today's CGK trip.

 

Linus Airways

 

Used aircraft galore

 

Edited September 8, 2008 by tsentsan

[tsentsan 0]

MalaysianWings Special... an Indonesian gem.

 

[Ryan Soh 3]

WOW! Great shots TT esp the one of the old and dusty GA! Looking at the "used aircraft galore", it looks like those planes hardly moved from the time I was there till now. They look so sad and basically "ugly-fying" the vicinity! But I observe 2 DC10s missing and an inclusion is a green-tailed 747... I once saw a Southwest (WN) 737-200 hanging around.

[Rizal Iskandar 0]

Thanks Ryan for sharing.

 

Yes, CGK is waaayyy old-fashioned. I remember when I was on company trip to Bandung (we landed at CGK, not directly at BDO), my first thought when I see the outside was "is the airport located within paddy fields?" You know, all those curiosity. When we touched down, I saw a few shabby huts, like paddy huts just across the runway. Hmm, VERY different from KLIA. And inside the terminal, the panorama looked quite 80s-esque. Not to mention the facilities there.

 

But looking at the bright side, CGK is unique. Though classic-looking and old-fashioned, typical 80s airport, CGK is so cultured... I mean, the interior design of the airport. You could see lotsa statues, Indonesian cultures and the feel itself. It's like you're travelling to another world of wonders. When I walk around the airport, the feeling is so different... it's like there's something more to discover.

 

I think this makes Indonesia different from us, because the first impression when we get to CGK itself reflects what we will encounter in the country. I guess CGK is not just old-fashioned, but adorable as well. One thing that I am pretty sure, CGK's departure hall has a hobby shop that sells model aircraft. KLIA doesn't have that.

 

I will definitely return to CGK one day.

[S V Choong 4]

CGK's airport is lovely. Thanks for sharing.

[Greg Wood 3]

Hi TsenTsan,

 

Can you advise where the DC-3 is located ??

 

Was it just a day trip or did you venture further.

 

Any additional re: your visit would be welcomed.

 

Be up there soon with the guys!

 

Cheers Greg

[Jens Breuer 0]

Hi guys,

 

I'm on a business trip in Jakarta from March 9th to 20th. On 14th or 15th I would like to take some interesting photos at CGK. It would be great if I could meet a local spotter who could show me the locations und give some hints. I've got a 70-20mm Canon L lens with 67mm diameter - is it too large for the viewing mall at CGK?

Thanks for your help and I how to meet some of you at CGK!

Cheers,

 

Jens

[Greg Wood 3]

Hi Jens,

 

Visited Jakarta in Feb 09, and looking forward to go back again later this year. We stayed at the Jakarta Airport Hotel with rooms overlooking the ramp dosent get any better than that! A free shuttle bus transits regularly between terminals and viewing from the terrace is thru metal mesh. Shooting aircraft with lets say 70-300mm lens no problem.

 

Here's a few pics from the Observation Terrace.

Jakarta derelict stored aircraft (GMF)

 

Jakarta derelict stored aircraft (other side)

 

Jatayu Air 737-236 PK-JGY

 

Cheers Greg

Edited February 25, 2009 by Greg Wood

[Sneeze Lam 0]

OMG, the airport stored so many inactive members?

[Simon 3]

Aircraft grave yard?? :blink: