Indonesia has no single published registry of seaplane water landing sites. What exists, as of 2026, is a scatter of named locations across seven island groups: one operating resort lagoon (Bawah Reserve), one government hub announcement (Letkol Wisnu Airport, Buleleng), a handful of sites named in a 2022 Kemenhub magazine feature, and several destinations that are planned routes rather than certified bases. This page compiles every publicly named site into one island-by-island atlas, and marks clearly which category each one falls into.
Which water bodies are approved for seaplane landings in Indonesia?
Only a small number of Indonesian water bodies carry any public documentation of formal approval. Bawah Reserve in the Anambas Islands is the clearest case: indonesia.travel has reported that the resort’s lagoon holds water aerodrome certificates and describes it as Indonesia’s first water-based airport, served by two DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 300 amphibians connecting guests from Batam. Everything else on this list sits somewhere between “named as a planned site” and “used for a demonstration flight,” which is a required step before a site can be registered, not proof that registration is complete.
The table below separates certified, trial, resort-operated and planned sites so the distinction stays visible. Read the type column literally — a “planned” entry means a company or agency has named the location, not that aircraft are landing there on a schedule.
| Island / Region | Site | Type | Aircraft Reported | Operator / Status (as of 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bali | Letkol Wisnu Airport, Buleleng (North Bali) | Announced commercial hub | Cessna 208B EX Grand Caravan Amphibian | Santai Seaplane (PT Santai Seaplane Aviation), affiliated with Seaplane Asia Group; announced as a commercial amphibious operations base from 2026 |
| Bali | Benoa Harbour | Planned route origin | Twin Otter | Aman Air’s Bali–Banyuwangi service targeted for early-to-mid 2026, per regional news reporting |
| Bali | Menjangan, North Bali | Named site, unverified status | Not specified | Named in trial-era reporting; no operator or certification date publicly confirmed |
| Bali | Unenumerated southern Bali sites | Referenced, not itemized | Not specified | Reporting mentions approved southern Bali sites without naming them; no public list available |
| Java (East Java) | Banyuwangi airport area / Pang Pang Bay | Operational hub under development | Cessna 208B EX Grand Caravan Amphibian, Twin Otter | Santai Seaplane’s primary operations and sales centre, built under a Build-Operate-Transfer arrangement with InJourney Airports and Akademi Penerbang Indonesia Banyuwangi; Aman Air’s Pang Pang Bay leg targeted early-to-mid 2026 |
| Madura | Pulau Gili Iyang | Planned bandar udara perairan | Twin Otter Series 400 on Wipline 8000 amphibious floats | Named in Kemenhub’s Trans Utama magazine, issue 03-2022 |
| Sumatra (North Sumatra) | Lake Toba | Planned bandar udara perairan | Twin Otter Series 400 on Wipline 8000 amphibious floats | Named in Kemenhub’s Trans Utama magazine, issue 03-2022 |
| Sumatra (West Sumatra) | Mentawai Islands | Planned launch route | Cessna 208EX Grand Caravan Amphibian | Sama Sama Seaplanes, a virtual carrier flying under Premiair’s AOC, with water base registration reported in progress at DJPU |
| Riau Islands | Pulau Senua | Planned bandar udara perairan | Twin Otter Series 400 on Wipline 8000 amphibious floats | Named in Kemenhub’s Trans Utama magazine, issue 03-2022 |
| Riau Islands (Anambas) | Bawah Reserve lagoon | Resort-operated water aerodrome | DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 300 (two aircraft) | In service; guests connect via Batam; indonesia.travel reports water aerodrome certificates on file |
| Nusa Tenggara (Lombok) | Lombok | Planned network destination | Cessna 208B EX / C208EX | Named in Santai Seaplane’s East Java network and in Sama Sama Seaplanes’ later-phase route plan; not yet a certified base — see the dedicated Lombok seaplane guide for site-level detail |
| Nusa Tenggara (Sumbawa) | Moyo Island | Planned network destination | Cessna 208B EX | Named in Santai Seaplane’s East Java network plan |
| Flores | Komodo | Planned later-phase route | Cessna 208EX | Named in Sama Sama Seaplanes’ route plan, after Mentawai and Lombok |
| Raja Ampat | Raja Ampat | Planned later-phase route | Cessna 208EX | Named in Sama Sama Seaplanes’ route plan; site-level access detail sits with the dedicated Raja Ampat seaplane pages |
Two entries repeat “Twin Otter Series 400 on Wipline 8000 amphibious floats” because all three sites — Lake Toba, Gili Iyang and Pulau Senua — come from the same single source: Kemenhub’s internal Trans Utama magazine, issue 03-2022. That article also notes trial use of Cessna 172SP amphibian floats and Caravan 208A amphibians, and describes the Wipline float configuration as low-noise. No follow-up public document confirms whether any of the three sites has since been certified.
Do seaplanes land in open ocean or sheltered bays and lagoons?
Every site named in current reporting is sheltered water — a bay, a lake, a lagoon or a harbour — not open ocean. Bawah Reserve’s site is a lagoon inside a coral atoll. Pang Pang Bay and Benoa Harbour are both enclosed coastal water. Lake Toba is a freshwater caldera lake. This pattern matches how amphibious aircraft actually operate: calm, predictable water with minimal swell and clear approach paths is what makes a site usable for a Cessna Grand Caravan EX or a DHC-6 Twin Otter, both of which are the aircraft types named across every site above. For how these aircraft compare in role and range, see the Cessna Grand Caravan EX amphibian and Twin Otter floatplane profiles.
How are water aerodromes certified in Indonesia?
Two separate regulators cover two separate things: the site, and the aircraft.
| Regulator | Role |
|---|---|
| Direktorat Jenderal Perhubungan Udara (DJPU) | Registers and certifies water bases (bandar udara perairan); a demonstration flight and water landing is a prerequisite step before a site can be officially registered, per Seaplane Asia Group’s account of Indonesia’s first such demonstration |
| Direktorat Kelaikudaraan dan Pengoperasian Pesawat Udara (DKPPU) | Issues aircraft type certificates — airworthiness sign-off for the aircraft itself, separate from where it’s allowed to land |
| Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holder | Required for commercial operation; a virtual carrier such as Sama Sama Seaplanes flies under another company’s AOC (Premiair’s, in its case) rather than holding its own |
This two-track system explains why a location can appear in a company’s route map — Lombok, Komodo, Moyo, Raja Ampat — well before it has any DJPU registration. Naming a destination costs nothing; registering the water body and running the required demonstration flight is a separate, slower process.
Which islands have confirmed sites versus planned destinations only?
Confirmed, in-service: only Bawah Reserve in the Riau Islands, on the strength of the water aerodrome certificates indonesia.travel has reported. Announced with a named operational hub and a Build-Operate-Transfer structure behind it: Buleleng (North Bali) and Banyuwangi (East Java), both under Santai Seaplane / Seaplane Asia Group, targeting commercial operations from 2026. Everything in Sumatra, Madura and the Riau Islands beyond Bawah traces to one 2022 Kemenhub magazine feature with no public certification update since. Lombok, Moyo, Komodo and Raja Ampat are named only as future route destinations in operator planning documents — not certified bases. Their island-specific water-landing detail, access routes and resort tie-ins are covered on this site’s operators and bases directory and on the dedicated island domains linked above.
Requesting a site check for your resort or route
If a resort, dive operation or event wants to know whether a nearby bay or lake could realistically support a water landing, the honest answer usually needs a look at chart depth, swell exposure, approach clearance and proximity to an existing DJPU-registered base — none of which is answerable from a public list alone.
- Describe the water body — location, approximate dimensions, known depth if available, and what it’s used for today.
- The desk checks it against the current named-site atlas above and against operator route plans that are already public.
- The desk flags the realistic path — whether the site would need a fresh DJPU registration and demonstration flight, or whether it sits near an existing planned network (East Java–North Bali–Lombok–Moyo, for instance) and could piggyback on future expansion.
- You get a written summary, not a guess, with sources named.
This is a coordination and research service. Juara Holding Group is an independent broker and coordination desk, established 2015, arranging services with licensed operators — it is not a seaplane operator, an airworthiness authority, or affiliated with any operator named on this page. Message the desk on WhatsApp at (https://wa.me/6281139414563) or email bd@juaraholding.com with the water body’s location and your intended use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an official government list of every seaplane water landing site in Indonesia?
No. As of 2026, no single public registry covers every water aerodrome, trial site and planned location. This atlas is compiled from named sources — Kemenhub’s Trans Utama magazine, operator announcements from Santai Seaplane and Sama Sama Seaplanes, and reporting from indonesia.travel on Bawah Reserve — and is updated as new sites are named publicly.
Which Indonesian island has the most confirmed seaplane activity right now?
By operational status, Riau Islands leads with Bawah Reserve’s in-service resort lagoon base. By announced infrastructure, Bali and East Java lead, with Santai Seaplane naming Buleleng and Banyuwangi as its two operational hubs targeting 2026 commercial service under a Build-Operate-Transfer framework.
Can any calm bay or lake be turned into a seaplane landing site?
Not without DJPU registration. A demonstration flight and water landing is described by Seaplane Asia Group as a prerequisite step for official site status, separate from the aircraft’s own type certificate issued by DKPPU. Physical calm water is necessary but not sufficient — the site itself needs to be registered before scheduled commercial landings can happen.
Are Lombok and Raja Ampat already certified seaplane bases?
No. Both appear only as named future destinations in operator route planning — Lombok in Santai Seaplane’s East Java network and in Sama Sama Seaplanes’ later-phase plan, Raja Ampat in Sama Sama Seaplanes’ plan after Mentawai, Lombok and Komodo. Neither has public DJPU certification reported as of 2026.
How do I find out if a specific bay near my property could support a water landing?
Send the location and water body details to the desk via WhatsApp at 6281139414563 or bd@juaraholding.com. The check compares your site against the named atlas above and against current operator route plans, then returns a written assessment of what registration path would realistically apply — it does not guarantee a site will be approved.