ATR identifies 209 untapped Indonesian domestic air routes serving 16 million passengers annually

French-Italian turboprop manufacturer ATR has uncovered significant opportunities for domestic air travel expansion within Indonesia through a detailed analysis of travel patterns and airport infrastructure. The company identified 209 new potential domestic air routes that could serve an estimated 16 million passengers annually if operated with regional turboprop aircraft. This insight spotlights a large segment of the Indonesian market currently underserved by scheduled air services despite existing airport facilities.

Indonesia’s domestic air travel market remains fragmented, with many paved-runway airports lacking scheduled passenger flights. ATR noted that out of 180 airports with paved runways in the country, 70 currently have no scheduled passenger service. Many of these airports are located on Indonesia’s numerous outer islands where surface transport infrastructure is less developed, indicating a substantial latent demand for air connectivity without requiring heavy new infrastructure investments.

This analysis leveraged ATR’s proprietary MobilityMonitor platform, which tracked travel behavior of 35 million Indonesian individuals over one year, representing a broad cross-section of the population. The data encompassed approximately 780 million inter-city trips using diverse modes including cars, motorbikes, buses, ferries, trains, and planes. Notably, about 90% of these trips were within distances ideal for turboprop operations, ranging between 100 and 800 kilometers.

By integrating travel demand insights with geographic airport data, ATR defined 209 new feasible routes that stand out for economic and operational viability. A striking finding was that 88% of these routes, corresponding to roughly 14 million potential passengers annually, are intra-island rather than inter-island connections. Furthermore, 90% of the opportunities lie outside Java — the densely populated island with well-established road infrastructure — emphasizing the potential for regional aviation primarily in more remote areas.

The disproportionately low development of surface transport infrastructure on Indonesia’s outer islands, contrasted with Java’s dense motorway network, informs these findings. Java accounts for just 7% of Indonesia’s landmass yet holds 58% of its motorway kilometers, enabling average travel speeds of about 65 km/h. Other islands like Kalimantan, Papua, and Maluku experience much slower road travel speeds (26 to 37 km/h), longer distances, and correspondingly greater travel times, which regional flights could drastically reduce.

Sumatra and Sulawesi emerged as the largest potential markets for new regional air services due to robust demand for varied city-pair air connections. For instance, the Bengkulu to Pekanbaru route in Sumatra currently involves an arduous 18-hour road journey but would only require approximately one hour by air. ATR forecasts this corridor alone could support two daily turboprop flights, demonstrating how regional aircraft can transform connectivity and economic interaction.

Alexis Vidal, ATR’s Senior Vice-President of Commercial, highlighted the readiness of the Indonesian market and infrastructure for expanded regional air services. He stressed that the demand is evident and airports are in place to support new traffic with the proper aircraft. Vidal also noted that improved regional connectivity would promote economic growth, access to essential services, and increased opportunities across the archipelago’s diverse communities, especially toward addressing regional disparities in mobility.