AP II told to review its policy banning tall buildings around airport

Tangerang Mayor Wahidin Halim has asked state airport operator PT Angkasa Pura (AP) II, which runs the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, to review its policy that bans the construction of tall buildings near the airport.

Wahidin said that such a policy, which stipulates that tall buildings may only be built outside a 5-kilometer radius from the airport, would only hamper the development programs the city administration had set up.

“Therefore, we ask the airport operator to soon review its policy because we have a city ordinance on zoning and spatial layouts that obliges the city administration to improve public space and infrastructure around the airport,” Wahidin said on Friday.

He explained that the construction of tall buildings was not merely to pursue development targets, but the city administration also had its own policy on issuing building permits around the airport.

According to the mayor, buildings constructed near the airport may not be taller than 17-stories and 40 percent out of the acquired land should be earmarked for open green space.  

In response to the mayor’s request, PT AP II corporate secretary Harry Cahyono said that the policy of Flight Operations Safety Area (KKOP) had been issued by the Transportation Ministry and that airport operators had to refer to the ministry’s policy to control airplane flight and security standards.

“KKOP is the limit of airport’s safety area. If tall buildings are built near the airport, it will disturb the sight of pilots and therefore, tall buildings should not be built around the airport,” he said.

Harry said that the KKOP was regulated by the 2009 Aviation Law and a 2010 Transportation Ministerial Decree on national airport management.

“It means that the government and entrepreneurs should understand the condition of airport security standards,” he said.

He said that in implementing the KKOP, AP II had worked with local administrations to familiarize them with the safety policy.

“The Tangerang city administration, which is working all out on its development programs around the airport, should also pay attention to the height of buildings for any building permits it issues,” he said.

He said AP II had proposed the Tangerang city administration use the KKOP policy when deciding on which areas were permitted for the construction of storied buildings near the airport.  

“However, if the proposal is ignored by the city administration, then we will discuss the matter again with Mayor Wahidin Halim,” he said, emphasizing that the presence of storied buildings around the airport would certainly disturb the movement of aircraft heading to and from the airport. (nvn)