Samarinda International Airport is a main airport under construction in Samarinda, East Borneo. It is in the district of Sungai Siring. It is colloquially known as Sungai Siring Airport, to distinguish it from its predecessor, Temindung Airport.The airport will replace Temindung Airport, and will be an important regional transportation centre, passenger hub and gateway for destinations in Nusantara (with 15 destinations). It will be East Kalimantan's busiest cargo gateway and busiest passenger airport. It is also home to Kaltim's largest passenger terminal buildings.The airport will be operated by Airport Authority Samarinda 24 hours a day and is the primary hub for Kaltim Airlines (the flag carrier of Samarinda). SRIA is an important contributor to Samarinda's economy. About 6 airlines will operate flights from the airport to 15 cities across Indonesia. SRIA will handle 5,000,000 passengers.HistorySungai Siring Airport was designed as a replacement for the former Samarinda International Airport (commonly known as Temindung Airport) originally built in 1973. Located in the densely built-up Sei Pinang District with a single runway extending into settlements, Temindung had only limited room for expansion to cope with steadily increasing air traffic. By the 2000s, Temindung had become one of Kaltim's busiest airports – it far exceeded its annual passenger and cargo design capacities. One out of every 25 flights experienced delays, largely due to lack of space for aircraft, gates, and runway.A 1992 planning study by Civil Aviation and Public Works departments identified the district of Sungai Siring, as a possible airport replacement site. Away from the congested city centre, flight paths would be routed over North Samarinda rather than populous urban areas, enabling efficient round-the-clock operation of multiple runways. The Sungai Siring (SGS) airport master plan was completed in 1995. In 1998, however, the government shelved the project for financial and economic reasons. The Airport Location Study was undertaken by Indonesian consultants. This study came up with four recommended locations for overall strategic development in Samarinda. One of the four assumed a new airport at Makroman; a second assumed a new airport at Palaran; the third assumed a new airport at Sungai Siring; and the fourth assumed a new airport at Bayur. In November 2003 the Governor of Kaltim announced that a decision had been made on the Airport Location Study. The strategy was a replacement airport at Sungai Siring.