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Expect delays at Ngurah Rai during summit

Security arrangements for visiting heads of state will affect commercial flights going in and out of Ngurah Rai International Airport during the upcoming ASEAN Summit, an Air Force officer said on Tuesday

Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post)
Denpasar
Wed, November 2, 2011

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Expect delays at Ngurah Rai during summit

S

ecurity arrangements for visiting heads of state will affect commercial flights going in and out of Ngurah Rai International Airport during the upcoming ASEAN Summit, an Air Force officer said on Tuesday.

Flight service at Ngurah Rai would be adjusted to accommodate fifteen heads of state arriving in Bali on official or chartered flights.

“The delays will start 30 minutes before the arrival [of a head of state] until 25 minutes later, in line with international procedures, and will be applied to all heads of states,” Ngurah Rai Air Force base commander Col. Jumarto said.

Jumarto said it would be impossible to halt all activity during the officials’ arrivals at Ngurah Rai International Airport, the only commercial airport on Bali.

Security would be increased for visiting heads of state at the airport, he added, with officials creating three protective rings.

The first ring is a top security area that will be strictly off-limits to the public. The VIP 1 and VIP 2 reception facilities, which lie north of the airport’s international terminal, are expected to be the locus of the second ring.

The public areas inside the airport, including the arrival and departure terminals, will be designated as the third ring.

Official aircraft will park at three separate facilities inside the airport. Not all the planes will be parked at Ngurah Rai airport, which can only accommodate six wide-body aircraft. Some would be parked at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta and Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Jumarto said.

Fifteen countries have confirmed the attendance of their heads of state, while three other countries were expected to be represented by their foreign ministers.

Of the 18 countries participating in the summit, only Singapore’s and Cambodia’s delegates will arrive in Bali on commercial planes, while the others will arrive on official or chartered planes.

US President Barack Obama has also confirmed attendance at the summit and is expected to arrive in Indonesia on Nov. 16 for preliminary meetings on trade.

“We have no confirmation on how long he will be in Bali,” Jumarto said.

Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Totoy Herawan Indra said the police were prepared to safeguard the ASEAN meeting.

“We also expect the public to support us to maintain a secure situation in Bali,” he said.

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said that Bali was ready to welcome all the delegates and to host the summit.

“The meeting will give Bali greater attention from the national and international community. We are delighted to host this meeting because it will make Bali more popular.”

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