Juanda airport expansion expected to reduce congestion

State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I plans to complete the construction of a new passenger terminal at Juanda International Airport serving Surabaya, capable of accommodating 6 million domestic and international passengers annually, by Heroes Day on Nov. 10.

Contacted by The Jakarta Post recently, Angkasa Pura I general manager for Juanda, Trikora Harjo, said the new terminal, which will cost around Rp 946 billion (US$97.36 million) to build, would alleviate the current burden of 16 million passengers annually.

Juanda, located just outside Surabaya in Sidoarjo, East Java, was originally designed to serve only 8 million passengers.

'€œUpon completion, the new terminal will relieve the burden by up to 50 percent,'€ said Trikora.

Of the budget allocation, Rp 901 billion would be allocated for the physical construction and the rest for operational costs.

Supporting facilities at the new passenger terminal, located south of the runway, will accommodate around 700 cars, while the valet and overnight parking will be designed to accommodate 135 cars.

According to project manager Syamsul Alam, construction is 49.7 percent complete, ahead of the initial target of 46 percent.

Construction is currently focused on the domestic terminal, consisting of supporting facilities, such as parking areas, apron, airbridges and a generator building. The domestic terminal consists of eight gates and 12 airbridges. Special access from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 will be built for airport workers.

The domestic terminal, according to Syamsul, is expected to be completed in August, while construction on other supporting facilities commenced on Friday and is expected to be finished by the end of September in time for trial runs.

Trikora also revealed the plan to build another runway north of Terminal 1. The 3,000-meter runway is expected to facilitate air traffic to and from Juanda, which currently stands at 360 planes daily.

Meanwhile, the Transportation Ministry responded to the rapid growth of domestic airlines by opening the Blimbingsari Aviation Engineering and Safety Academy (ATKP) in Banyuwangi regency, East Java. Indonesia has three other ATKPs but the Blimbingsari ATKP will be the first to have a flying department. Opened on April 17, it is the second state-run flying school after the Indonesian Aviation Institute (STPI) in Curug, Banten

The ministry'€™s Human Resource Development Agency head, Santoso Eddy Wibowo, said the domestic airline industry had a demand for 800 pilots annually, while the demand in Asia is expected to be for around 185,000 up to 2031.

The government has disbursed Rp 40 billion this year to establish the Banyuwangi flying school, buying three Cessna 175 training airplanes from the United States. With these, the flying school will be equipped with five training planes in addition to two French-made Socata TB 10 Tobago trainers.

The school is expected to create 60 graduates annually. The government has earmarked Rp 200 billion to develop the campus and various facilities until its completion in 2016.

The Blimbingsari flying school is much needed because training space in Curug is already limited and reduced by aviation activities at the nearby and much larger Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.