A resort that wants direct seaplane access in 2027 should start the water aerodrome pathway now: register or certify the site under CASR Part 139 Volume III and sub-regulation 139.101, meet the depth and taxi-channel specifications set out in Keputusan Direktur Jenderal Perhubungan Udara Nomor KP 206 Tahun 2021, build out shoreline facilities, secure marine spatial and sea-operations permits, and set up coordination duties with coastal radio stations and Vessel Traffic Services under the regulation enacted 22 August 2025.
What Counts as a Water Aerodrome Under Indonesian Law?
Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), part of the Ministry of Transportation, treats a water aerodrome the same way it treats a land airport. The site must be certified or registered under CASR Part 139 sub-regulation 139.101, and the shoreline facilities that support it — jetties, fuel storage, passenger handling — fall under that same certification umbrella. This matters for a resort owner because a private beach or lagoon cannot informally host seaplane arrivals on the strength of a charter operator’s own aircraft certificate. The water area itself needs its own regulatory status before scheduled or charter traffic can use it.
A ministerial regulation enacted 22 August 2025 and published in State Gazette 2025 No. 620 sharpened this definition further. It describes an “aerodrome water” as the water area used for seaplane arrivals, departures and surface movement, and it requires that seaplane operations on water follow shipping-sector law in addition to aviation law. That dual framework is the detail resorts most often miss: a water aerodrome answers to both the DGCA and the maritime authorities that govern the same water.
Which Regulations Actually Govern the Process?
Three instruments do the heavy lifting. DGCA’s base standards adopt seaplane-base criteria from FAA Advisory Circular 150/5395-1 and publish them locally as the Manual of Standard for CASR Part 139 Volume III, Seaplane Bases (Waterbases). KP 206 Tahun 2021 sets the minimum technical and operational specifications for water aerodromes serving seaplanes up to 30 seats — the document a resort’s engineering consultant will use to size the taxi channel and water operating area. And the 22 August 2025 regulation adds the coordination layer: water aerodrome organisers must coordinate with coastal radio stations and Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) units, and CASR Part 91 requires aircraft on water to keep clear of vessels and give way under standard right-of-way rules.
None of these three instruments sets a resort-specific fast track. A water aerodrome application is evaluated on the same technical and safety basis whether the applicant is a regional government project or a private resort, which is one reason the timing column in the table below is marked “not guaranteed” rather than given in weeks or months.
What Are the Technical Specifications a Site Must Meet?
Before an engineering survey is commissioned, a resort should know the baseline numbers DGCA and KP 206/2021 work from:
| Specification | Standard |
|---|---|
| Preferred water depth | 1.8 metres |
| Minimum depth (single-engine aircraft) | 1 metre |
| Water operating area length adjustment | +7% per 300 metres of elevation above sea level |
| Taxi channel width | At least 45 metres, with direct access to onshore facilities |
| Taxi channel orientation | Into the prevailing wind or current where possible |
| Aircraft types DGCA standards reference | Cessna 208A Caravan and DHC-6 Twin Otter, typically 9-seat configuration |
A resort sitting in a sheltered bay with consistent depth and a clear approach has an easier survey than one with a shallow reef shelf or heavy current — but depth and channel width are only the water-side half of the picture. The same certification also has to account for shoreline infrastructure (jetty, fuelling point, passenger shelter) and for how the site will interact with existing marine traffic, fishing grounds and any nearby shipping lanes.
What Is the Certification Pathway, Step by Step?
The table below sequences the process as described across DGCA’s Part 139 Volume III standards, KP 206 Tahun 2021 and the August 2025 coordination regulation. Because no published processing-time guarantee exists in the regulations, every timing note here should be read as indicative planning language, not a service commitment from any authority.
| Step | Authority | Evidence Needed | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Site feasibility survey (depth, channel width, approach/departure paths, elevation adjustment) | Engaged surveyor/engineering consultant, per KP 206 Tahun 2021 criteria | Bathymetric survey, wind/current data, elevation reading | Not guaranteed |
| 2. Marine spatial and sea-use permitting | Relevant marine spatial planning and coastal authorities | Proof of shoreline/water-use rights, spatial plan alignment | Not guaranteed |
| 3. Water aerodrome registration or certification application | DGCA (Directorat Jenderal Perhubungan Udara), under CASR 139.101 | Site survey, shoreline facility plans, safety management documentation | Not guaranteed |
| 4. Coordination agreement with coastal radio and VTS | Coastal radio station and Vessel Traffic Service unit covering the site | Communication protocol, traffic coordination plan, per the 22 Aug 2025 regulation | Not guaranteed |
| 5. Shoreline facility build-out and inspection | DGCA, alongside local building/coastal authorities | Completed jetty, fuel handling area, passenger facilities meeting Part 139 Vol III standards | Not guaranteed |
| 6. Confirmation the water aerodrome can receive Part 135 AOC charter traffic | DGCA, in coordination with the charter operator’s own AOC status | Registered/certified water aerodrome status; operator’s valid CASR Part 135 Air Operator Certificate | Not guaranteed |
The last step is worth underlining for resort planning: certifying the water aerodrome is necessary but not sufficient. The seaplane itself must be flown by an operator holding a valid CASR Part 135 Air Operator Certificate, since only Part 135 AOC holders may conduct commercial charter flights in Indonesia. A resort’s certification project and its choice of charter partner run on parallel, not sequential, tracks — which is exactly the coordination work a desk that arranges resort charter programmes is built to carry alongside the owner’s engineering and permitting team.
What Can a Resort Do While Certification Is Pending?
Certification timelines are not guaranteed, so most resorts planning for 2027 arrival build an interim plan rather than waiting on a fixed date.
| Interim Option | How It Works | Planning Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Route via nearest certified/registered aerodrome plus boat transfer | Guests land at an existing certified water aerodrome or airport, then complete the journey by boat | Requires a reliable marine transfer partner and realistic total transfer-time messaging to guests |
| Reference an operating example, such as Bawah Island | Research cites Bawah Island in the Anambas Islands as a certified luxury-island water aerodrome already in service | Useful as a planning benchmark for facility standards, not a guarantee of comparable approval speed |
| Land-based hub with seaplane leg from a regional centre | Banyuwangi has been positioned in research as a regional hub linking land and water operations to a Bali seaplane network | Depends on the hub’s own certification status and connecting schedules, which a resort does not control |
| Charter coordination without owning the aerodrome | Resort works with an independent charter desk to book existing certified routes while its own site application proceeds | Keeps guest experience live in 2026-2027 without waiting on the resort’s own certification outcome |
How Should a Resort Budget Its Timing?
Because DGCA’s own base standards record only two registered seaplane bases serving Cessna 208A Caravan and DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft in Indonesia, the certification pathway is still a narrow, closely-supervised process rather than a routine permit. A resort should treat every date in its 2027 plan as a target, not a commitment, and build the interim boat-leg or nearest-aerodrome option into its guest-facing marketing from day one rather than after a delay appears. BMKG’s seasonal outlooks — the rainy season generally running October to March and the dry season April to November — also belong in the planning calendar, since survey work, dredging or shoreline construction near a water aerodrome site is easier to schedule and to permit during the region’s typical dry-season window.
The resort’s own certification application, its coastal radio and VTS coordination agreement, and its charter operator’s Part 135 AOC status are three separate approvals moving at three separate paces. Building a written timeline that tracks all three, with the interim routing option documented alongside them, is the single most useful document a resort can hand to its board before committing to a 2027 launch date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a resort self-certify its own water aerodrome without DGCA involvement?
No. A water aerodrome is treated as an airport under CASR Part 139 and must be certified or registered through DGCA under sub-regulation 139.101. Shoreline facilities fall under the same requirement. There is no private or self-certification track described in the published standards for a resort-owned site.
Does water aerodrome certification also cover the seaplane operator’s flight permit?
No. Certification covers the water aerodrome site itself. The aircraft operating to it must separately be flown by a company holding a valid CASR Part 135 Air Operator Certificate, since only Part 135 AOC holders may legally conduct commercial charter flights in Indonesia.
How does the 22 August 2025 regulation change coordination requirements for a resort’s water aerodrome?
It requires water aerodrome organisers to coordinate directly with coastal radio stations and Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) units and confirms that seaplane operations on water must also follow shipping-sector law, not aviation law alone. A resort’s certification file needs to include this coordination agreement, not just the DGCA aviation submission.