[3] Kemayoran was built during Dutch East Indies administration by the Department of Transport, Public Works and Irrigation in 1934 on the land that was formerly swamps, rice fields, and residential areas.

[5] However, the airport began operations on 6 July 1940, with the landing of the first aircraft, a DC-3 Dakota owned by the Royal Dutch East Indies Airways (KNILM), which had flown from Tjililitan Airfield.

[3][7] After Indonesia gained independence, the government under President Sukarno began upgrading terminal buildings, runways, taxiways, aprons, hangars, operational equipment and constructing a new international terminal building to accommodate foreign tourists and as part of His grand plan to beautify the capital city of Indonesia.

The former runways have been converted into a wide boulevard, while the green areas around it have been gradually filled with developments such as Jakarta International Exposition Center (JIExpo) and Kota Baru Bandar Kemayoran.

Therefore, to fulfill the ambition of the Dutch East Indies government, in 1934, a new airport was built in the Kemayoran area, which was still a swamp, rice fields, and settlements.

After Kemayoran began operating, the management of this airport was held by KNILM, which was directly responsible to the Dutch East Indies government.

The aircraft were the Buckmeister Bu-131 Jungmann, de Haviland DH-82 Tigermoth, Piper J-3 Cub, and Walraven 2 which had flown from Batavia to Amsterdam on September 27, 1935.

[4] This event led to Kemayoran being used as a base for Allied and Dutch military aircraft, with the Royal Air Force also using it as their station.

[4] On 9 February 1942, Kemayoran was targeted by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in an attempt to capture the island of Java.

[1] On August 14, 1945, Chairul Saleh, Joesoef Ronodipoero, and other youth leaders came to pick up Sukarno, Mohammad Hatta and Rajiman Wediodiningrat at Kemayoran after their visit to meet General Hisaichi Terauchi in Da Lat, Vietnam.

The youths immediately approached Sukarno and asked for the proclamation to be sped up because the Japanese had been defeated in the Pacific War.

Not receiving a satisfactory answer, the youths then held a meeting led by Chairul Saleh at Menteng Raya 31 Building.

[13] After the Japanese surrender was signed on 2 September 1945, the South East Asia Command (SEAC) sent 7 Allied mission members under Major A.G. Greenhalgh's leadership to Jakarta.

These seven British officers were parachuted into Kemayoran on 8 September 1945 and immediately met with General Yamaguchi, the Imperial Japanese leader in Jakarta.

[14] The result was that the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army in Java issued an announcement stating that the government would be handed over to the Allies, not to Indonesia.

[15] On 29 September 1945, Allied Forces Netherlands East Indies (AFNEI) successfully landed at Kemayoran with their troops consisting of 3 divisions to serve in Sumatra and Java.

After Jakarta returned to being the capital of Indonesia, the Indonesian government directly managed civil aviation and airports.

Among them are the Saab 91 Safir, Grumman HU-16 Albatross, Ilyushin Il-14, and Cessna, as well as aircraft made by Nurtanio Pringgoadisuryo, such as the NU-200 Si Kumbang, Belalang, and Kunang.

Subsequently, the government increased its investment by transferring terminal buildings, other supporting structures, runways, taxiways, aprons, hangars, and operational equipment.

[17] Entering the 1970s, the era of wide-body jets with advanced technology emerged: Boeing 747, Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, McDonnell Douglas DC-10, and Airbus A300.

[20] The plan received support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the form of funding, concept studies, and site selection.

[20] However, the Ministry of National Development Planning could not agree to USAID's proposed location, Jonggol to replace Kemayoran Airport.

The former main runway that was turned into a road was named in honour of Betawi's legendary Movie Star and Singer, Benyamin Sueb.

[24] The airport also operates a number of scheduled domestic and international flights to other countries including Australia, Netherlands, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Soviet Union, Italy, France, Germany, China and United Kingdom.

A large two-story terminal was designed for passenger comfort that featured cafes, restaurants, telephone booths, a post office, and a loudspeaker system.

[22] In early October 1965, the government under President Sukarno began instructing the construction of a new international terminal building to accommodate foreign tourists and to prepare for the upcoming Conference of the New Emerging Forces.

[22] The main air traffic control tower (approximately five storeys high) has a 360-degree view of the airport grounds.

The levels underneath were used as support facilities for air traffic control officers, such as a small pantry, toilets, storerooms, and break rooms.

At the end of runway 17, there is a TG locator, whose station is in Ancol on top of a building near the PLN substation owned by Kereta Api Indonesia.

Tintin and his friends, Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, and Snowy, transit there for refueling stop on the way to Sydney, Australia.