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tate-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II has confirmed that the new Spanish radar installed at the Kuala Namu International Airport in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, is ready to assist air traffic as soon as the airport commences operation in March 2013.

Head of the law, public relations and general affairs section of PT Angkasa Pura II’s Kuala Namu unit implementation project, Wisnu Budi Setyanto, said that the radar had been successfully tested.

“The quality of the Kuala Namu radar is very good [and will] guarantee flight safety,” Wisnu said on Wednesday.

Wisnu said the tests had been conducted over the last two months and focused on the navigation process between the radars at the current Polonia Medan Airport and at the new Kuala Namu Airport.

He said the new Spanish-made radar, purchased by the Indonesian government especially for the Kuala Namu Airport, was the first-ever to operate in the country.

“From an application point of view, this radar is better, more accurate and more precise,” he said.

Wisnu expressed confidence that with a high quality radar, the flight activities at the new airport would be even safer that those at the Polonia Medan Airport.

The radar at Kuala Namu, according to Wisnu, covers air traffic in areas under 250,000 feet high as the areas above that height are managed by Jakarta.

So far, he added, no flight company had tried to use the radar at Kuala Namu. Wisnu confirmed that in principle should there be a company that wanted to try it the airport was prepared.

He also expressed optimism that the Kuala Namu Airport would be able to commence operation on time by March 2013.

“We would welcome companies who want to try the radar, because the airport is indeed ready to operate,” he said.

Mandala Airlines commercial director Brata Rafly said his company was ready to try the new radar at Kuala Namu Airport.

He expressed confidence that his company’s aircraft would be able to operate at the airport, adding that seven Mandala Airlines planes would operated from there.

The Kuala Namu Airport, which occupies a plot of 1,365 hectares, is expected to be officially launched by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in March this year.

Kuala Namu is located some 3.5 kilometers away from Labu beach in Deli Serdang regency, around 40 kilometers from Medan.

The airport has a runway measuring 3,750 meters long and is 60 meters wide.

It has parking lot for 33 planes capacity. It has an annual capacity of 8 million passengers.