The airport serves flights to and from several cities and towns in Indonesia as well as international connections to Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

The colonial era Simpang Tiga airport was a disc-shaped landing field about a kilometer west of the current runway.

[2] After the independence of Indonesia, the newly created Garuda Indonesian Airways also served Pekanbaru from Jakarta via Padang or Palembang.

The VIP lounge is located on the eastern side of the terminal of Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport.

The VIP lounge is personified to cater to special guests such as presidents, governmental people, ambassadors and others.

The Lembayung Executive Lounge provides a cozy and comfortable area, specially designated for passengers who are waiting for flights.

It can be accessed by passengers who have credit cards issued by several multinational banks in Indonesia who collaborate with the airport.

The current terminal was equipped with various facilities including an ATM center, post office, clinics, money changer, and others.

Henceforth, this airport is initially planned to accommodate Haj embarkation, especially for Riau Province and particularly Pekanbaru.