Indonesian airports to modernise weather monitoring capabilities

Vaisala has been chosen to oversee a €25 million project to bolster airport safety and weather resiliency in Indonesia. As an archipelagic country with over 17,000 islands, air travel is vital for the mobility of people and goods. According to the Indonesian Bureau of Statistics, the island nation recorded over 52 million domestic and 7 million international passengers in 2022.

The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) and Vaisala have signed a contract to install and deploy airport weather systems and equipment to modernise 14 Indonesian airports. The contract is valued at approximately €25 million, which is Vaisala's largest-ever aviation weather project.

Jarkko Sairanen, Executive Vice President, Weather and Environment, Vaisala commented, “Flight safety should not be a privilege. No matter where you live, you should be able to trust that your air travel is protected by modern automatic weather observation systems. This is especially true in Indonesia where the tropical climate brings in thunderstorms and other weather events that can severely affect the safety of the passengers and ground personnel alike.”

The U.S. International Trade Administration has stated that Indonesia is the second-fastest growing aviation market in the world after China, based on aircraft purchases and trade value. Investing in airport infrastructure is crucial to accommodate Indonesia's rapid development of the aviation industry.

“The order includes modern aviation weather technology, including our AviMet Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) to eight airports, and a wind shear alert system, combining our X-band weather radars and wind lidars, to four airports. The project also includes the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s SILAM model that can be used for estimating movements of ash clouds from volcanic eruptions. As Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire with an estimated 80 active volcanos, this will be a significant addition to the safety of Indonesian aviation,” Sairanen continued.

This prestigious project will be funded via the Finnish Public Sector Investment Facility (PIF), governed by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, which supports projects in compliance with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in developing countries. The project is expected to run for three years and will commence in 2025 once the PIF loan agreement is completed and the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has finalised the funding.