Soekarno-Hatta must be expanded to meet passenger demand

Overcrowded: In this August, 2010 file photo passengers crowd the domestic terminal at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten. -- JP/R. Berto Wedhatama

An observer said expansion of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport must be accelerated to accommodate a growing number of air travelers in years to come.

Suharto Masjid, anw aviation expert from the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), said Tuesday that the airport would handle 40 million passengers this year and had recorded 20.7 million passengers in the first half of 2010.

“I predict that the number of passengers will increase from 5 and 10 million a year. The airport will serve over 60 million passengers by 2015 and more than 75 million by 2020,” he told The Jakarta Post.

The only choice for the government and the airport operator was to expand the capacity of the airport by building new terminals, he said.

Soekarno-Hatta airport currently has three passenger terminals. Terminal I serves domestic flights. Terminal II is dedicated to international flights. Terminal III is the newest terminal and started operation in 2009. It is currently used by two discount airlines: Air Asia and Mandala airlines.

Starting operation in 1985, Soekarno-Hatta airport replaced Kemayoran airport in Central Jakarta and Halim Perdanakusuma airport in East Jakarta.

The new airport was designed to accommodate 22 million passengers a year. Airport operation company Angkasa Pura II says that 37.3 million air travelers used the airport last year. (rdf)