Sultan Babullah Airport also known as Ternate Airport, is located in the Indonesian province of North Maluku, close to the city of Ternate. The airport is named after the Indonesian warrior Sultan Babullah of Ternate (1528–1583). The airport serves as the main access to the province, with a high flow of both passengers and cargo. In the long run, government policy regarding air transport development plans will be aimed at the development of infrastructure and service at the airport, allowing for further routes to and from the city.
Sultan Babullah Airport
Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-800 taxiing
Ternate, also known as the City of Ternate, is a city in the Indonesian province of North Maluku and an island in the Maluku Islands. It was the de facto provincial capital of North Maluku before Sofifi on the nearby coast of Halmahera became the capital in 2010. It is off the west coast of Halmahera, and is composed of eight islands: Ternate, the biggest and main island of the city, and Moti, Hiri, Tifure, Mayau, Makka, Mano, and Gurida. In total, the city has a land area of 162.20 square kilometres and had a total population of 185,705 according to the 2010 census, and 205,001 according to the 2020 census, with a density of 1,264 people per square kilometre; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 204,920. It is the biggest and most densely populated city in the province, as well as the economic, cultural, and education center of North Maluku, and acts as a hub to neighbouring regions. It was the capital of the Sultanate of Ternate in the 15th and 16th centuries, and fought against the Sultanate of Tidore over control of the spice trade in the Moluccas before becoming a main interest to competing European powers.
Skyline of Ternate
Gate of the palace of Ternate Sultanate.
Colonial-era painting of Ternate island, c. 1883–1889.
Sultan of Ternate's guard.