T

he Lombok International Airport will find it difficult to meet its operational target by mid-July this year due to security problems, the airport management company says.
The company’s airport construction monitoring deputy director, Marsidi, told The Jakarta Post that his company had set the target to finish the construction works by the end of May.
So far, he added, 95 percent of the works had been completed and the passenger terminal was 84 percent complete.
He said other parts of the constructions, including the runway and other supporting operational buildings had all been finished.
“But unless the security is guaranteed, we will not be able to meet the target,” Marsidi said on Thursday.
He raised fears the security problems would get in the way.
Since 2008, the development of the international airport has been frequently marred with problems related to security.
The problems include horizontal conflicts between communities of different subdistricts in Pujut district, Central Lombok regency, where the airport is located as well as thefts of the constructional materials from the development sites and destructions of newly installed infrastructure at the airport compound.
“We have so far recorded 56 security cases, including community conflicts, intimidations and thefts. Thanks to that we have lost 190 days [of work].”
The airport is located 40 kilometers southeast of the West Nusa Tenggara provincial capital of Mataram. Covering 538 hectares, the airport has a development budget of
Rp 829 billion from Angkasa Pura, Rp 110 billion from the provincial administration and Rp 40 billion from the regency administration.
PT Angkasa Pura I’s Lombok office general manager I Ketut Erdy Nuka said the airport was designed to replace the Selaparang Airport in Mataram. Once ready, the equipments and manpower from the Selaparang airport will be moved to the new airport.
Nuka urged the local administrations to take care of the security problems as they are the responsibility of both the provincial and regency administrations.
Erdy underlined the importance of the airport for the province, which has been actively developing its tourism sector, saying the new airport will make it open to direct flights from other countries.
He said the Selaparang airport accommodated 18,000 flights last year, bringing in and out over 1.1 million of passengers.
With the new airport having an international status, he said the figure will be much higher once it is already in operation.
“We are also expecting the people’s support because once the new airport operates, it will bring positive impacts.”