Bunaken National Park Seaplane: How a Charter Flight Would Actually Work
There is no scheduled seaplane service to Bunaken National Park as of September 2026. A 2025 study on Indonesian water aerodromes names Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado as the hub node covering Bunaken, Bangka Island and Lembeh Strait within its 100-nautical-mile radius, so a Bunaken seaplane flight today is a positioned charter that still needs marine-park and water-landing permits.
How would a Bunaken seaplane trip work?
No operator publishes a Bunaken route today, so getting there by seaplane means treating it the same way any private charter enquiry works: as a feasibility check first, a confirmed flight second. Manado’s Sam Ratulangi Airport is one of eight hub airports identified in a 2025 systematic study on whether Indonesia needs more water aerodromes, chosen because it sits within a 100 nautical-mile (roughly 182-kilometer) planning radius of Bunaken, Bangka Island and the Lembeh Strait. That study is a planning exercise, not an announcement of new infrastructure — it explains why Manado is a logical positioning point, not proof that a landing site already exists.
A charter desk that has already scoped Manado’s broader seaplane options — see Manado seaplane tours for the wider regional picture — typically walks a Bunaken enquiry through six checks before quoting a price.
| Step | What happens | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Feasibility enquiry | Traveler sends dates, passenger count and departure point | Coordination desk |
| 2. Aircraft and operator match | Confirms an amphibious Twin Otter or Caravan can be positioned to North Sulawesi | AOC-135 operator |
| 3. Landing-site review | Checks whether any certified or study-identified water area near Bunaken can take the aircraft | Operator + Directorate General of Civil Aviation |
| 4. Marine-park coordination | Confirms the park’s own conservation rules for a water landing or anchoring inside protected waters | Bunaken National Park authority |
| 5. Weather and sea-state review | Operator sets its own go/no-go minima on the day | Pilot-in-command |
| 6. Charter quote | Whole-aircraft price built from positioning distance, weight load and waiting time | Coordination desk + operator |
Two commercial operators were confirmed as flying seaplanes in Indonesia by a senior Ministry of Transportation official in August 2025 — Travira Air in NTB and Airfast Indonesia in the Riau Islands — which is a further reason a Bunaken flight has to be positioned rather than booked off a fixed schedule.
What permits govern landing in a marine national park?
Two separate permission layers stack on top of each other for any Bunaken water landing, and both have to clear before a date is confirmed.
The first is aviation law. Indonesia’s water aerodrome regulation defines a seaplane (pesawat udara perairan) as an aircraft able to land and take off on water, and a water aerodrome (bandar udara perairan) as the water area plus supporting facilities used for that traffic. Article 29(1) of that regulation is explicit: a water aerodrome can only operate once its organizer holds a certificate or registry issued by the Ministry of Transportation. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s Decree KP 206/2021 then sets the physical, obstacle-clearance, visual-aid and procedural minimums for any water aerodrome serving seaplanes up to 30 seats — standards that apply whether the site is a purpose-built base or a one-off charter landing.
The second layer is maritime and conservation law, and it runs at the same time rather than after aviation sign-off. Permenhub No. 08/2025 states that while a seaplane is operating on the water, its crew must follow shipping and maritime rules in addition to aviation rules — a dual regime unique to this kind of flying. Bunaken’s status as a national marine park adds a further conservation-permit layer on top of that dual regime, since any landing, anchoring or passenger transfer inside protected reef waters sits under the park’s own management rules, separate from anything the aviation authority certifies.
Operational safety rules add a third, aircraft-level layer. CASR 121.339 requires seaplanes and amphibians flying as seaplanes to carry sea anchors and survival equipment, and requires a life jacket or equivalent reachable from every seat on extended overwater flights — a standing requirement regardless of which water aerodrome is involved.
Seaplane vs dive boat from Manado
Divers already reach Bunaken by boat every day, so the honest comparison is not “seaplane or nothing” — it is what a seaplane adds over a standard dive-boat transfer.
| Factor | Seaplane charter | Dive boat / speedboat |
|---|---|---|
| Availability today | Positioned charter only; no fixed schedule | Daily departures from Manado’s waterfront |
| Regulatory layers | Water aerodrome certification + marine-park permit + CASR overwater rules | Standard park entry ticket + vessel permit |
| Booking model | Quote-based, whole-aircraft charter | Per-seat or boat-charter rate |
| Where it earns its keep | Combining Bunaken with Bangka Island or Lembeh Strait in one positioning flight, or connecting from further afield | Routine single-site dive-day logistics |
| Weather sensitivity | Operator sets sea-state and visibility minima per flight | Generally more tolerant of moderate chop |
A seaplane makes the most sense when a trip already needs to link two or three of the sites the 2025 hub study groups under Manado’s radius, rather than as a straight swap for the boat ride divers already use.
What to send in a feasibility enquiry
A Bunaken seaplane enquiry moves faster when the first message already answers the questions an operator will ask anyway:
- Travel dates and how many travelers, including luggage and dive-gear weight
- Departure point — whether the aircraft needs to be positioned from Kepulauan Riau, NTB or elsewhere
- Whether Bunaken is a standalone destination or one stop alongside Bangka Island or Lembeh Strait
- Flexibility on dates, since sea state and weather minima decide each landing on the day
- Any prior marine-park permits already in hand, or confirmation that the desk should coordinate that layer too
None of this guarantees a landing gets approved — the aviation certificate, the marine-park permit and the operator’s own weather call each have to clear independently. What it does is give a coordination desk enough to tell a traveler, honestly and quickly, whether a Bunaken seaplane charter is worth pursuing for their dates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a seaplane that flies directly to Bunaken National Park?
No. As of September 2026, no operator runs a scheduled seaplane route to Bunaken. Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado is named in a 2025 hub study as the planning node covering Bunaken within its 100 nautical-mile radius, but that is a study finding, not a live service — any flight there today would be a one-off positioned charter.
Can a seaplane legally land inside Bunaken Marine Park?
Only after clearing two separate permission layers: an aviation water aerodrome certificate under Article 29(1) of Indonesia’s water aerodrome regulation, and separate conservation permission from the park’s own management, since Bunaken’s protected reef waters fall under maritime and marine-park rules that run alongside aviation law rather than instead of it.
How much does a Bunaken seaplane charter cost?
There is no published fare for this route. Indonesian seaplane charters are quoted whole-aircraft, based on aircraft type, how far it must be positioned to North Sulawesi, passenger and luggage weight, waiting time and handling — figures an operator sets per enquiry rather than off a published rate card.