WION
Ranai-Natuna Airport
VFR
-
Name
Ranai-Natuna Airport
-
ICAO / IATA / GPS
WION / NTX / WIDO
- Type
- Restriction
- Region
-
Timezone
9:34 pm (WIB)
-
Municipality
Ranai-Natuna Besar Island
-
Coordinates
3° 54′ 31″ N 108° 23′ 16″ E
-
Elevation
7 ft (2 m MSL)
About Ranai-Natuna Airport
Ranai-Natuna Airport (IATA: NTX, ICAO: WIDO) or Natuna-Ranai Airport, formerly Raden Sadjad Airport (IATA: NTX, ICAO: WION), is located in Ranai Kota, the capital city of Natuna Regency, on the Natuna archipelago in the Natuna Sea. The airport is also a Type B airbase of the Indonesian Air Force. The airport also serves civilian flights.
Due to the ongoing South China Sea dispute, the Indonesian government has decided to expand the airport to accommodate large military aircraft. Additional facilities, such as aircraft hangars, ILS, refueling hangar are also currently being added. More military personnel are also stationed. The government are also planning to lengthen the airport's runway from 2.560 m to 3.000 m to accommodate large military aircraft. This would act as a deterrent against foreign ships from entering Indonesian waters. The expansion of the airbase is also to prevent illegal foreign fishing boats from entering Indonesian waters. Many fishing boats from China, Vietnam, Malaysia have often entered Indonesian waters illegally.