Indonesia Inspects Five Earthquake-Damaged Airports in NTT

Labuan Bajo — — Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation has inspected five airports damaged by the recent earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara, focusing on accelerating repairs to infrastructure and flight facilities, according to the Ministry of Transportation and local media reports.

The field visit was led by Director General of Civil Aviation Lukman F. Laisa on Saturday, 29 August 2026. The inspection covered Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo, Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport in Maumere, H. Hasan Aroeboesman Airport in Ende, Soa Airport in Bajawa and Frans Sales Lega Airport in Ruteng.

The ministry said the review aimed to directly assess post-earthquake conditions at airport facilities and assets, identify recovery needs and ensure that rehabilitation measures are carried out in a targeted and measurable way. The inspections follow a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck parts of East Nusa Tenggara on 15 August 2026, damaging multiple transport facilities across Flores and surrounding areas.

Soa Bajawa airport made top repair priority

Officials singled out Soa Airport in Bajawa, Ngada Regency, as a key focus of the recovery plan. The Ministry of Transportation stated that repairs to building structures and supporting facilities, including passenger terminal areas and facilities underpinning flight operations, have been designated a priority at Soa.

According to the ministry’s earlier damage assessments, Soa Airport suffered medium-level damage to its runway along with cracks in some buildings and supporting facilities, including new fissures in several locations. Subsequent monitoring reported further impacts, including damage to ceilings and terminal glass, cracks in walls and columns, and a longitudinal crack on the runway, prompting mitigation measures such as debris removal, equipment securing and deployment of portable communications.

Despite the damage, civil aviation authorities have maintained flight operations at Soa with restricted access to some areas considered higher risk, while emphasizing that flight safety remains the primary consideration.

Five airports inspected, operations maintained

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the inspection across the five airports was intended to map out the condition of facilities, personnel and operations after the earthquake, and to guide subsequent recovery steps according to the level of damage at each site.

Authorities and local media outlets have reported that, based on field monitoring and checks, there have been no complete operational closures of airports in Flores due to the earthquake. All affected airports have continued to serve flights, including services supporting the movement of residents, humanitarian assistance, logistics and post-disaster response, while applying operational adjustments where needed.

Lukman said that inspection findings will be used as the basis for determining follow-up measures to restore damaged facilities and support a return to full capacity, with recovery work prioritised according to the severity of impacts and identified needs at each airport.

Support for personnel and next steps

In addition to the physical inspections, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has coordinated with airport operators and air navigation service providers to continue monitoring conditions and maintain staff safety at affected facilities. Officials have reported that all navigation service personnel at impacted locations were safe following the quake.

The ministry has not yet released detailed engineering assessments or costed repair schedules for each airport, and has said that field identification of damage and requirements is ongoing before finalising the scope of rehabilitation works. Further announcements on budget allocations and timelines for structural repairs and terminal refurbishments are expected as the recovery plan progresses.

For travellers and logistics operators using Komodo, Maumere, Ende, Bajawa and Ruteng, authorities advise checking directly with airlines and airport operators for the latest information on flight schedules and any local operational adjustments as repair works continue.

Sources

• Directorate General of Civil Aviation – Ministry of Transportation (Hubud Kemenhub) main release
• RRI.co.id – Kemenhub prioritises Soa Bajawa Airport repairs after earthquake
• Kontan – Earthquake in NTT affects airports, Transportation Ministry prepares recovery steps
• BeritaNasional.com – Post-earthquake NTT, Transportation Ministry accelerates recovery of facilities at 5 airports
• Tempo English – Indonesia speeds up repairs at earthquake-damaged airports in NTT
• CNBC Indonesia – Latest situation at all airports in Flores after M7.7 quake hits NTT
• Viva.co.id – Transportation Ministry reports five airports damaged by NTT earthquake
• Republika – Five airports affected by Flores earthquake, Directorate General of Civil Aviation conducts inspections
• RCTI+ / iNews – Six airports in NTT damaged by earthquake, Transportation Ministry ensures flights continue
• Pontianak Post / Jawa Pos – Update on NTT M7.7 earthquake: 47 dead and 5 airports affected