New Airport in Medan
Last updated: November 20, 2013
Medan’s new Kuala Namu International Airport opens on 25 July 2013.
It will replace the overcrowded Polonia Airport (MES), which will close on the same date.
The Bare Essentials | To/From The New Airport | To/From Medan | Other Tips
The Bare Essentials
| Opening date: 25 July 2013 Airport code: KNO Location: 31km North-East |
Airport Bus: Yes Airport Train: Yes – more information Toll road: Under construction |
Travelling To/From The New Medan Airport
View Going to/from Medan in a larger map
Left to Right: Pinang Baris Bus Terminal, Medan City Fair Airport Bus Terminal, Medan Train Station, the old Polonia Airport, Amplas Bus Terminal, the new Kuala Namu Airport
Medan Airport is located in Deli Serdang Regency, north-east of the city.
Full details of public transport options to/from Kuala Namu are still to be confirmed, but it will be the first Indonesian airport with a rail link. There will also be airport buses; two likely destinations are the city’s main inter-city bus terminals: Pinang Baris in the west (destinations: Aceh, Bukit Lawang, Berastagi) and Amplas in the south (Lake Toba, Sibolga, Bukittinggi).
A toll road connecting the new airport to Medan and Tebing Tinggi is still under construction, and is due to be finished in late 2014. In the meantime, it is 31km to the airport from Central Medan, measured from the City Hall (near Medan Train Station). Google Maps estimates the journey to be 53 minutes. A taxi ride would be around Rp100 000 ($US10, € 8, £7). Fares from the airport are unconfirmed; it is likely that there will still be a pre-paid fixed price voucher system – not taxi meters – similar to those currently operating at Polonia Airport and Bali Airport.
UPDATE – November 2013
We have more information and a review of Railink – the name of the train between Medan and its Airport – here.
Travelling to/from Medan
| Destination City | Flights/Week |
| 1. Jakarta | 290 |
| 2. Penang (Georgetown) | 99 |
| 3. Kuala Lumpur | 74 |
| 4. Batam | 63 |
| =5. Banda Aceh | 42 |
| =5. Singapore | 42 |
| 7. Pekanbaru | 35 |
| 8. Bandung | 32 |
| 9. Nias (Gunung Sitoli) | 28 |
| 10. Padang | 21 |
Medan is the busiest airport in Sumatra, with almost 8 million passengers in 2012. It is often a transit point for visitors than a tourist destination itself, many either just stay one night continue their journey directly to more well-known attractions with smaller airports or no airport at all. By plane, these include e.g. diving hotspot Pulau Weh near Banda Aceh, famous surfing breaks in Nias and Mentawai Islands near Padang. Places acessible from Medan by bus are listed in the previous section.
Other Hints And Tips
Based on the previous experience of the new Lombok International Airport opened in 2011, here is some further advice:
- Indonesian airline booking systems are often slow to change.
Airlines might still use MES (Polonia) as the airport code after 25 July 2013, even though the flight is arriving at/departing from KNO (Kuala Namu). Airlines only changed the airport code on their website months after Lombok International Airport opened. - It is recommended you arrive before the minimum check-in time.
With the greater distance to travel and the potential for computer system breakdowns that come with a new airport, it is a good idea to allow additional time. - It is recommended passengers reconfirm their flight a few days before.
There may be some minor schedule adjustments, due to the different location making flights slightly longer/shorter. It is now possible to do this online with almost all of the larger airlines; here is a guide. For the one exception – Sriwijaya Air – departure times by using the online booking system, i.e. check the price for 1 ticket on the same flight that you’re on. Please note: it cannot be checked this way less than 3 days before departure, when tickets cannot be booked online. 
Airport Tax may change.
Currently it is Rp35 000 ($US3.50, € 2,50, £2.25) per person for domestic flights, and Rp75 000 ($US7.50, € 6, £5.50) per person for international flights. Airport Tax in Lombok didn’t increase, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t in Medan. If there is an increase, it cannot be more than airport tax in Jakarta: Rp40 000 for domestic, Rp150 000 for international.
As further information becomes available, this post will be updated.
In the meantime, if you have a question, please write it in the comment field below.
Or if you would like to enquire about a flight to/from Medan, please fill in this form.
223 Comments on “New Airport in Medan”
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Yes, there is a train from Kuala Namu Airport to Medan. It takes 45 minutes. Please see previous comments for more details.
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Thomas says:
hey!
I’m flying from singapore to medan on the 24th of September, flying to the new airport.
When I got my ticket from Medan to Jakarta, it still says to fly from the old airport.My Australian girlfriend lands in medan on the 24th as well, but on a plain coming from jakarta, she has her ticket to the old airport.
Can I expect the flight to and from the old airport to be changed to the new airport by then, as the information above started by saying the old airport would be closed at the end of July.
hope you guys can help me out! thanx.
Thomas -
Hi Thomas,
Polonia is definitely closed, despite what your ticket says.
Some airlines still have tickets saying “MES” (Polonia, the old airport) instead of “KNO” (Kuala Namu, the new airport). For example: Indonesia’s biggest domestic airline, Lion Air. No, I don’t know why.
This is not the first time. The same thing happened in 2011 with the new airport in Lombok. For several months after, airlines continued to use the old airport’s code (AMI) instead of the new one (LOP).
As to why they don’t just use the same airport code, there is a precedent and reason for that. Padang (PDG) has a new airport and it took the PDG airport code with it. After the new airport opened in 2006, a few times flights landed at the old airport due to pilot or autopilot/flight computer confusion or error.
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Odile says:
Hi, I am arriving at the end of September at Kuala Namu with my 2 young kids, heading to Parapat.
I won’t take public transportation but intend to take a taxi. I read that there will be only airport taxis waiting for passengers. Do you have an idea of the price of the ride to Parapat? Cheers -
Hi Odile,
I don’t know how much it costs, but generally speaking airport taxis are usually much more expensive than other taxis.
On my last trip to North Sumatra, we used Raja Taksi. (It is a car with driver that operates on demand). Then it was Rp50 000 per person, but it would be more now because petrol prices increased 44% earlier this year.
If you’re coming straight from the airport, you could take the airport taxi to the Raja Taksi head office. The address is here. It is near the Amplas bus terminal.
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vikram says:
We will taking a night bus from banda aceh to Medan and want to know if we can get off on the way closer to the airport n avoid going into Medan
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Hi vikram,
Pinang Baris Bus Terminal (where buses from Banda Aceh terminate) is to the west of Medan, while the airport is north-east of Medan. (Please see Google Map in the original post).
Sorry to say, I don’t think there are any places you can stop that are more “on the way” or closer to the airport.
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Thanks Chris, I will be taking a taxi to.the airport as it will be cheaper than the train since we are two people
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Johannes says:
are ATM available at the new airport
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Yes, I’m sure there must be some ATMs at the new airport.
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Carola says:
Hi Chris,
how to get to Medan from KNO Airport if the flight arrives late in the evening about 23 o’clock. Is there a night train / bus available or do we have to take a taxi?
Do the buses leave at Pinang Baris bus terminal at night or do we have to take a hotel in Medan an leave the city in the morning?
Thank you+
Kind regards
Carola -
dora says:
hi,
Is wifi or internet cafe available at the airport?
cheers -
Hi Carola,
I found a schedule here for trains from the airport to Medan:
05.50, 06.20, 08.00, 09.25, 12.25, 14.55, 16.25, 18.50, 20.25, 24.15So there will be a train departing late enough. 24:15 is the local way of writing a quarter past midnight.
Hi Dora,
I don’t know if the new airport has wi-fi or internet cafe. You’d think it would, but maybe not because of its remote location.
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Awan says:
hi dora..
yes it has wifi for free in the building.
i’ve been practically used that before in 3rd floor departure hall -
James says:
Can a non passenger of a flight accompany a passenger and travel together in the train to the airport? She is just accompanying her mother to send to the airport.
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Hi James,
Yes, a non passenger can take the train. Only if the train is full do they give preference to passengers.
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halim says:
Hello,
I’m planning to travel 4 persons to Medan this October , is it advisable to travel by train or taxi? How far distance from the station to Grand Aston City Hall Hotel and how to purchase train tickets or taxi booking?
Thanks
HALIM
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Hello Halim,
As you can see here, Grand Aston City Hall is one of the closest hotels to the train station. The distance is 200 metres.
Train tickets can be purchased on the day, costing Rp80 000 each.
Airport taxis use a pre-paid voucher system, like Bali and Surabaya. It would be cheaper than 4 train tickets (Rp320 000).
The taxi trip would take longer than the train ride, but trains don’t depart very frequently: 05.50, 06.20, 08.00, 09.25, 12.25, 14.55, 16.25, 18.50, 20.25, 24.15
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Ben says:
Hi Chris,
Would you know how far arrivals and departures are in Kuala Namu airport? Due to all the changes in departure times, I have now just 70 mins between my scheduled landing time (domestic Airasia) and departure time with Wings air plane. According to recent youtube video, Lion air check in counters seems to be extremely disorganised, I wonder if I’m going to make it!
Cheers,
Ben -
Hi Ben,
Sorry, I don’t know from personal experience as I haven’t flown to Medan since the new airport opened.
From what I can tell from the airport’s Wikipedia page, arrivals is downstairs and departures is upstairs.
Regarding the short transit, you might want to check if it is possible to change your Wings Air flight to a later time, or the next day. If done more than 48 hours in advance, the change fee is Rp60 000 ($US6) plus any difference in fare between the old and new flight. I’m guessing it’s not possible to change the AirAsia flight…
I can’t comment on the relative organisation of the Lion Air check-in area, other than to point out that Wings Air flights use small planes and so (as pointed out here) check-in queues are often small or non-existent.
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Marle says:
I will be arriving Medan on 22 Oct at noon, staying at Alpha Inn which is at Jalan Gatot Subroto, near Plaza Medan Fair. Should I take the train to medan station then get a taxi to the hotel, or should I take the Bus sentosa which I understand ends at Plaza Medan Fair. Is Bus Sentosa pretty reliable? Where can I find details of their departure time and how long is the journey to Jl Gatot Subroto. Thanks so much for your help
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Hi Marle,
According to the official website, the airport bus to Plaza Medan Fair departs every 15-30 minutes. I presume that the airport bus is sufficiently reliable…
The Alpha Inn is a 10-minute walk or 5-minute taxi ride from Plaza Medan Fair. Here is a Google Map with directions.
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Jamie says:
From the old airport it was possible to take a shared taxi (6 or 7 people in a mini van) from the airport to Parapat for around Rp100,000. But the last time I was returning from a trip and flu into the new airport, I could not find the place to wait for the shared taxi and was told my only option was to pay Rp550,000 for a private car. This was a huge shock to me, as well as, a financial strain. I am getting ready to take another trip and am worried about my return options again. Is this really my only option? I appreciate your help with this.
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Hi Jamie,
The Wikitravel page for Parapat mentions 3 shared taxi operators and their contact details.
I paid Rp280 000 (Rp40 000 per person) for a ride to Pematang Siantar (near Parapat) two years ago, but it would be more expensive now.
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hello pal..
This might help you
1. Medan- Pematang siantar – Parapat
from the airport you can get Paradep bus which directly to and from pematang siantar then take same bus (Paradep) to parapat. paradep is official bus like Damri. it takes 1 hour journey to Parapat from that city.
2. Medan – Amplas bus terminal – parapat
surely take Damri from the airport to Amplas terminal (IDR 10000) then take regular bus to Parapat -
Caey Ho says:
Hi,
Air Port tax increase for international flight? How much the cost?
1st day I will stay at Medan, next day to Lake Toba, May I know where to stay is convenience from train station and next day to Raja Teksi office?
Thank you -
Hi Caey Ho
Airports Near Medan Train Station
Raja Taksi Office is 6 km south of Medan Tain Station near the Amplas Bus Terminal on Jl SM Raja. Hotels Near Raja Taksi Trans.
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Lance J. Saver says:
Chris –
Good Day.
1. Please advise if there any hotels at the Kuala Namu airport? If so please provide the hotel name(s)
2. How long is the train ride from KNO to the train station in Medan?
3. How long does it take by car to travel either way from the center of Medan to the KNO
4. Is there executive class seating on the train?
5. What direction is the new airport from Medan? Is it the North East?
6. How long does it take by car to travel from KNO to Belawan?
7. Are there any suitable hotels in walking distance from the train station in Medan?Thank You.
Regards: Lance J. Saver
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1. No, there aren’t, at least not yet.
2. 45 minutes
3. Depends on traffic, usually more than 1 hour until the new toll road opens (next year)
4. No, one class carriage.
5. Yes, it is. See Google Map in the post above.
6. According to Google Maps, it is 46 km and would take 70 minutes.
7. Yes, there are several several hotels near Medan Railway Station. The nearest is Grand Aston Medan City Hall.
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ooo, that’s mean there is no train at the kuala namu airport?