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span class="caption" style="width: 378px;">AntaraPlans have been drawn up to turn Ahmad Yani International Airport in Semarang, Central Java province, into a green facility as it is considered to have too many buildings and lacking in green space.

The head of the Central Java provincial Transportation, Communication and Informatics Agency, Urip Sihabudin, said that the redesign was partly in response to the government’s call to create more public green spaces.

“With the new concept, the operational system of the airport will not only be efficient and energy-saving but also take into account the preservation of the surrounding areas, including the beach, the soil and the water,” Urip said recently.

Ahmad Yani airport is located in the coastal area of Maron Beach in West Semarang district, which is prone to flooding and abrasion.

This has raised concerns, particularly because since it became an international airport in 2004, it accommodates almost all airline companies in the country, with passengers predicted to increase 20 percent annually.

With the green concept, according to Urip, the airport will have more trees both outside and inside the airport compound, including around the apron and runway areas. “Of course, the trees will be arranged in such a way so as not to disrupt the operation of the airport,” he said.

To preserve the ecosystem, he added, ponds already in existence around the airport compound will be maintained. To deal with abrasion, mangroves will be planted along the coastline. To help conserve water, the airport will not use groundwater but recycled water.

The airport terminals, similarly, will use transparent glass roofing to let in as much sunlight as possible and thus conserve electricity to illuminate the indoor areas of the airport during daylight hours.

“We’ve designed the airport to be operational for a long time. That’s why we feel that going green is a must,” Urip said.

Urip said that the concept for the project dated back to 2003.

The project will be jointly conducted by the provincial administration and state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I. The Rp 1.2 trillion project, he added, was scheduled to be completed by June 2013.

The green airport concept has been applied at Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, Lombok International Airport in West Nusa Tenggara and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta.

Separately, PT Angkasa Pura I Semarang general manager Priyojatmiko assured that the green airport concept would not compromise passenger comfort.

Priyojatmiko also said that eventually the airport would use solar power to meet its energy needs. “So far, what we do to conserve energy is create more open spaces, plant trees and provide more ventilation for air cooling and circulation to reduce the use of air conditioners,” he said.

“With the new concept, the operational system of the airport will not only be efficient and energy-saving but also take into account the preservation of the surrounding areas, including the beach, the soil and the water.”