Sultan Iskandar Muda Air Force Base (Blangbintang Airport)

Sultan Iskandar Muda Air Force Base is an Indonesian Air Force facility located in Blang Bintang, Aceh Besar Regency, 13.5 kilometers southeast of Banda Aceh. The installation operates as a Type B airbase and shares airfield facilities with Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport, with military installations positioned southeast of the passenger terminal across the runway.

The airbase was established by the Imperial Japanese forces in 1943 during World War II as Blangbintang Airbase to support regional military operations. Following Japan's surrender, local Acehnese militias seized weapons stockpiles left at the facility. The installation remained inactive until 1953, when the Indonesian government reopened the airfield; a C-47 Skytrain was the first aircraft to land upon its reopening. In 1995, the facility was renamed in honor of Sultan Iskandar Muda, the 17th-century ruler of the Aceh Sultanate.

During the insurgency in Aceh, the Indonesian Air Force used the base as a launch point for aircraft conducting strikes against rebel forces and as an entry point for troop deployments, including the landing of 458 paratroopers on May 19, 2003. Following the December 26, 2004 earthquake and tsunami, the airfield functioned as a central distribution point for international relief aid sent to the region.

The base uses shared airfield infrastructure capable of supporting wide-body aircraft, including transport types such as the C-47 Skytrain, Airbus A330, and Boeing 747. Air traffic control is provided by an on-site tower servicing both military and civil movements.