Both State Airports companies Angkasa Pura I and II continue to upgrade airports around the country. Although Jakarta and Medan international airports are plagued with delay, progress can be observed at other facilities.
JAKARTA- Lombok International Airport became finally operational last year. And in July this year Angkasa Pura II finally inaugurated a brand new terminal at Pekanbaru airport. The presence of gas in the surroundings of Pekanbaru – the capital city of the Riau province in Sumatra-is turning the regional capital into an attractive destination for business travellers. Air passengers’ traffic at Pekanbaru grew from 1.75 million passengers in 2006 to 2.54 million in 2011. Overcrowding facilities at the old terminal –only 12 years old- forced authorities to build a new passengers terminal. The facility can now handle up to four million passengers a year in its 25,000 m2 terminal. Soft opening occurred on July 16 while grand opening will take place in September by the Indonesian President.
Some minor glitches occurred during the opening phase as many passengers were left uninformed of the terminal changes. While international passengers check-in was done at the new terminal, immigration and customs procedures were still made at the old terminal due to the slow installation of computerized immigration system. The old terminal is due to be demolished to make way to a further extension of the air terminal and apron.
Meanwhile, foundations were laid for a new terminal and expanded apron in Jakarta which will help to boost capacity to 60 million passengers a year. Planning to extend a nearby rail link into the airport is also in the process of being started. It will then help passengers reaching in just an hour the airport from Jakarta city centre and stayed immune from heavy congestion on the airport’s tollway.
Yesterday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono officially launched the ceremony of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport expansion project in Cengkareng. According to the Jakarta Post, the Indonesian President declared that the expansion had become one of the most important infrastructure projects in the country due to rising air passengers’ demand.
The first phase of the project would include the construction of a new apron and expansion of Terminal 3, which serves budget carriers such as Mandala Air, Indonesia AirAsia and Lion Air on its Denpasar route.
State owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II (AP II) is to increase the capacity of the terminal from four million passengers to 25 million. The expansion project also includes the revitalization of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 and the apron expansion to accommodate an additional 30 aircraft. The project is expected to finish at the end of 2014 and be operational in early 2015.
“We are going to face the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015. It means that we have to prepare ourselves in order to reap the benefits of this community. I urge every party in the country to work together because Indonesia should be strong enough before the community is implemented,” Yudhoyono said during the opening. Jakarta CGK received in 2011 over 51 million passengers, 132 % more than its designated capacity of 22 million passengers a year.
Based on data from the Transportation Ministry, the number of passengers passing through the airport reached 51.1 million in 2011, more than 132 percent of its maximum capacity of 22 million passengers a year.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
