JAKARTA – AFU.ID — Indonesia has accepted an offer from the United States to turn the West Java International Airport (BIJB) Kertajati in Majalengka into a maintenance hub for C-130 military transport aircraft in the ASEAN region.
The offer was conveyed by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin during a meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives on Tuesday (May 19, 2026).
“He (the U.S. Secretary of Defense) offered — and no ASEAN country has this — he offered, ‘What if all C-130 maintenance across Asia is centralized in Indonesia, funded entirely by us?’” he said.
The airport, which cost Rp2.6 trillion from a combination of the national and West Java provincial budgets, has struggled to operate effectively. The government has attempted various solutions to revive the airport, which has the capacity to serve 29 million passengers annually.
Its location relatively far from downtown Bandung, insufficient accessibility during the early operational period, and intense competition with existing airports resulted in very low passenger occupancy.
Several airlines withdrew, and domestic flight routes were discontinued. Meanwhile, annual operational costs for the so-called “ghost airport” range between Rp60 billion and Rp100 billion.
Most of these costs are borne by the West Java Provincial Government through capital injections into PT BIJB.
Data showing a net loss of Rp120.5 billion in 2025 (down from Rp160 billion in 2024) and operating revenue of around Rp18.4 billion (down from Rp24 billion) were first publicly announced through PT BIJB’s official Instagram account, @infobijb.
Government Considerations
Head of the Defense Ministry’s Information Bureau, Brig. Gen. Rico Ricardo Sirait, said on Wednesday (May 20) that the plan takes into account the availability of vast land and adequate aviation support facilities.
The development of Kertajati Airport as a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) center for C-130/Hercules aircraft across Asia will be carried out gradually. The decision aligns with efforts to strengthen the independence of the defense industry and support national strategic aviation logistics.
The C-130 Hercules is the backbone of U.S. military air transport operations extensively used across Asia. Having a regional maintenance center would significantly improve logistical efficiency and operational readiness for U.S. fleets in the region.
Although formally described as an “aircraft workshop,” the permanent presence of U.S. personnel, contractors, and military equipment in Kertajati would provide the United States with highly valuable infrastructure assets in a very strategic location near the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea.
Making Indonesia a logistics hub for U.S. fleets in Asia would automatically create operational dependence, making it more difficult for Indonesia to maintain a neutral stance amid U.S.-China rivalry.
Concerns Over a “Hidden Military Base”
Commission I member TB Hasanuddin expressed concern that the arrangement could become permanent. Historically, many countries initially accepted supporting U.S. military facilities — such as workshops, emergency landing sites, or monitoring stations — which gradually evolved into permanent installations.
This raises serious concerns because Indonesia’s constitution and its “free and active” foreign policy principle explicitly reject the presence of foreign military bases within Indonesian territory.
In this context, the exclusive scope of the MRO facility for U.S. aircraft becomes critical: if the facility is used solely by the U.S. military, then substantively it would not differ from a military base.
TB Hasanuddin said there must be clarity regarding the operational scope of the MRO facility. If the facility is exclusively used by U.S. military C-130 aircraft operating in the Asia-Pacific region, it could create legal and strategic political issues.
“If the facility is exclusively intended to support U.S. military aircraft operations in Asia, then perceptions could develop that this constitutes a U.S. military base in Indonesia,” he said.
He emphasized that the offer came from the U.S. Defense Secretary, not from the Hercules aircraft manufacturer as part of a purely industrial cooperation agreement. Therefore, U.S. military strategic interests are strongly embedded in the plan.
Technology Transfer
Nevertheless, public policy observer Kristian Widya Wicaksono from Parahyangan Catholic University (Unpar) said the move could provide a solution to optimize Kertajati, which has long suffered from minimal flight activity.
According to him, the project also has the potential to create new jobs, attract investment, and establish an aerospace industry cluster in West Java.
“This move can be interpreted as the government’s effort to transform Kertajati from merely transportation infrastructure into a strategic defense- and aerospace-based industrial center,” Kristian said on Thursday (May 21, 2026).
So far, Kertajati has failed to become an economic growth center as originally envisioned due to low flight activity.
Kristian believes the presence of a military aircraft maintenance center could create a new, more stable economic function that does not depend on passenger numbers.
“In addition to strengthening West Java’s position in the national aviation industry, this project could also enhance Indonesia’s position in the aircraft maintenance service chain across Asia,” he said.
Kristian warned that the project must not become merely symbolic or dependent solely on U.S. interests. The government must ensure technology transfer, local workforce involvement, supporting industry development, and transparency in the partnership.
“The government must not position Indonesia merely as an operational location dependent on foreign interests,” he said.
Control over strategic assets, facility management, data security, and decision-making authority must remain in the hands of the Indonesian government. (EER)
