Indonesian President Joko Widodo has directed the expansion of small airports across the country starting 2017 to anticipate an increase in passenger arrivals and support economic growth.
Airport terminals should be expanded and runways lengthened, the head of state said while inaugurating the Sultan Thaha Airport’s new terminal in Jambi City, Jambi Province, Sumatra Island on July 21.
The Sultan Thaha Airport will serve as a pilot project for the development of small airports by the government, according to the Chief Executive.
The airports should also be integrated with other modes of transportation to facilitate passengers’ travel to their destinations, he continued.
“I urge that every airport should be integrated with other modes of transportation, such as trains, LRT (light rail transit), or buses, so the public will have more options and alternatives,” he said, as quoted by Antara News.
The Sultan Thaha Airport must also have such forms of connectivity, he noted.
At the same time, the president called for the construction of new terminals and runways in the small airports of Muara Bungo and Kerinci, both also located in Jambi Province.
Once improvement works at these three airports are complete, large-bodied aircraft would be able to land at Sultan Thaha Airport, and passengers could proceed to the Muara Bungo Airport aboard smaller aircraft.
“If land acquisition could be settled quickly, it means my instruction could be carried out starting 2017,” the President said.
Airports with adequate capacity will accelerate mobility, transportation, and the movement of cargo, and lead to improved efficiency, which is crucial in the competitive era. There should be no delays in aircraft landings and takeoffs as these cause queuing, Jokowi said.
The executive head said he has ordered his subordinates to accelerate the further expansion of Sultan Thaha Airport, which has a total project cost of IDR236 billion (US$18 million) in a bid to improve Indonesia’s facilities in competition with neighboring countries.
He stated that the airport was initially scheduled for expansion in 2019. However, with its 27% annual growth rate, he instructed the start of more development in 2017.
The hub reportedly handled over 986,000 passengers in 2010, and the number increased by more than 24% in 2015 despite being affected by haze due to forest fires.
The airport’s passenger terminal and parking lot cost around IDR126 billion to build, with the apron alone costing IDR110 billion.
Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan said the apron has been expanded “to upgrade the earlier capacity of accommodating five medium-class aircraft to seven aircraft.”
Photo: Malekhanif
