A 2025 systematic study titled “Does Indonesia need water aerodromes?” names Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar as one of eight hub airports from which water aerodromes could radiate within 100 nautical miles (182 km) — the planning node the researchers assign to eastern Indonesia. Sultan Hasanuddin is not, as of September 2026, an operating seaplane base; no water aerodrome, certified or informal, has been reported at or near the airport.
What Does the Hub-Airport Concept Mean?
The 2025 study is a planning exercise, not a construction plan or a government route map. Its authors took Indonesia’s existing major airports and modeled which ones could theoretically anchor a network of nearby water aerodromes, using a 100 NM radius as the working distance a seaplane could reasonably fly from a fixed base for day trips, resupply runs or resort transfers. Eight airports came out of that model, spread from the west to the far east of the archipelago:
| Hub airport | Province/Region | Role in the study |
|---|---|---|
| Ngurah Rai | Bali | Western/central planning node |
| Komodo (Labuan Bajo) | East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) | Central planning node |
| Sultan Hasanuddin | South Sulawesi | Eastern planning node (Sulawesi) |
| Syukuran Aminuddin Amir | Central Sulawesi (Luwuk) | Eastern planning node (Sulawesi) |
| Sam Ratulangi | North Sulawesi (Manado) | Eastern planning node (Sulawesi) |
| Sultan Babullah | North Maluku (Ternate) | Eastern planning node (Maluku) |
| Pattimura | Maluku (Ambon) | Eastern planning node (Maluku) |
| Dominique Eduard Osok | West Papua (Sorong) | Eastern planning node (Papua) |
Any water aerodrome that eventually gets built near one of these airports would still need to go through Indonesia’s regulatory process on its own merits. Under the Ministry of Transportation’s water aerodrome regulation, a water aerodrome (bandar udara perairan) may only operate after its organiser receives a certificate or registry from the Minister, per Article 29(1). The physical, obstacle-limitation, visual-aid and procedure minimums for such a facility — for seaplanes up to 30 seats — sit in Directorate General of Civil Aviation Decree KP 206/2021 (the Manual of Standard CASR Part 139 Volume III, Water Aerodrome). None of that process has been reported for Makassar.
Why Makassar for Eastern Indonesia?
Sultan Hasanuddin is South Sulawesi’s main international gateway, which is the practical reason the study picks it as an anchor rather than a smaller regional strip: it already carries the scheduled air traffic, ground handling and connecting flights that any future water-aerodrome network in eastern Indonesia would need to plug into. For a traveler planning eastern-Indonesia logistics today, the workable path is a whole-aircraft charter routed through a licensed operator with a base elsewhere in the country — travelers can charter a seaplane from Makassar as a positioning or transfer flight coordinated by a broker, rather than expect a fixed water-terminal at the airport itself.
That distinction matters because Indonesia’s confirmed seaplane operators are not based in South Sulawesi. A senior Ministry official stated in August 2025 that only two operators fly commercially in the country: Travira Air in NTB and Airfast Indonesia in the Riau Islands. Neither has a reported base or scheduled service tied to Makassar.
What Is Inside the 100 NM Radius?
The study’s 100 NM figure is a distance ceiling, not a list of confirmed landing sites. None of the water aerodromes named in current sources sit inside that radius of Sultan Hasanuddin. The facilities discussed in the regulatory and industry literature — Pulau Bawah in the Anambas Islands (Riau Islands Province, holder of Indonesia’s first Water Aerodrome Certificate), Kahayan River in Central Kalimantan, Amanwana and Benete Waterbase Aerodrome in West Sumbawa (NTB), and API Pangpang Bay near Banyuwangi in East Java — all sit in other parts of the country. A 2026 report from AsiaToday lists these same five locations as Indonesia’s special-status sea airports, and Sulawesi is not among them.
In practical terms, that means the 100 NM radius around Makassar describes a zone where a water aerodrome could theoretically be proposed and certified in the future, not a zone where one already exists. Any coastline, bay or island group inside that radius would still need its own site survey, environmental clearance and certificate application under KP 206/2021 before a seaplane could land there commercially.
What Mistake Do People Make Reading This Study?
The most common misreading is treating the eight hub airports as an official government route list — as though the Ministry of Transportation had designated Sultan Hasanuddin and the other seven as approved seaplane hubs. That is not what the study establishes. It is academic planning research modeling where a network could radiate from, built around a fixed radius assumption. Indonesia has no published government list of designated water-landing hub airports; the “eight hubs” language belongs to this one 2025 study, and any site that wants to operate still has to clear the Article 29(1) certification step individually.
A second, related point worth separating out: seaplanes operating on water in Indonesia sit under a dual regulatory regime. Permenhub No. 08/2025 states that while on water, seaplane personnel must follow shipping and maritime law in addition to aviation rules — so even a certified water aerodrome inside the Makassar radius would answer to port and maritime authorities, not just the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a seaplane base at Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar today?
No. As of September 2026, no water aerodrome is certified or operating at or near Sultan Hasanuddin Airport. The airport appears in a 2025 academic study as a planning hub with a 100 NM radius, not as a site with an active or under-construction seaplane facility.
What is the 100 NM planning radius used for at the Makassar hub?
The 182 km (100 NM) radius is the distance the 2025 study’s authors used to model how far a seaplane could reasonably reach from a fixed base airport. For Sultan Hasanuddin, it marks a theoretical catchment zone for future water aerodromes, not a confirmed service area or flight route.
Does the study name specific water-landing sites near Makassar?
No named water aerodrome falls within Sultan Hasanuddin’s 100 NM radius in current sources. The five special-status sea airports reported as of 2026 — Bawah Island, Pangpang Bay, Kahayan River, Benete and Moyo Island — sit in Riau Islands, East Java, Central Kalimantan and NTB, none in South Sulawesi.