SBY launches Soekarno-Hatta face-lift

(Kontan/Cheppy A. Muchils)

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono officially launched the ceremony of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport expansion project in Cengkareng, Banten, on Thursday.

The President said the expansion had become one of the most important infrastructure projects in the country as it was an answer to the rising demands of airline passengers.

"The demand in the airline industry is rising significantly due to our strong economic growth. By expanding Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, we hope it will bring more benefits to our economy because transportation is the key to better developing the country," he said.

The first phase of the project would include the construction of a new apron and expansion of Terminal 3, which serves budget carriers such as Mandala Air, Indonesia AirAsia and Lion Air on its Denpasar route.

State owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II (AP II) is to increase the capacity of the terminal from four million passengers to 25 million.

The expansion project also includes the revitalization of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, the cargo terminal and a new apron in a 300,000 square meter plot that is able to handle up to 30 wide-body aircraft, such as the Boeing B747 and Airbus A330.

The project is expected to finish at the end of 2014 and be operational in early 2015.

"We are going to face the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015. It means that we have to prepare ourselves in order to reap the benefits of this community. I urge every party in the country to work together because Indonesia should be strong enough before the community is implemented," Yudhoyono said.

Based on data from the Transportation Ministry, the number of passengers passing through the airport reached 51.1 million in 2011, more than 132 percent of its maximum capacity of 22 million passengers a year. (iwa)