P

eople eager to get a first taste of the luxurious Terminal 3 Ultimate (T3U) at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport may just have to wait longer as progress at the new terminal remains delayed by various issues.

“We can’t see it,” a guest said during a recent visit to the airport’s air traffic controller (ATC) tower. The guest was referring to a mobile ATC tower that state airport operator Angkasa Pura II (AP II) erected last week.

The temporary tower was so small at 7.5 meters, that it was practically invisible. It led to the Transportation Ministry handing down a verdict: the tower is ineffective to monitor and control the movement of aircraft and must be dismantled.

The mobile tower’s height is lower than the aircraft passenger’s boarding bridge and a Boeing 738 airplane rudder with a height of 12.55 m.

“This condition has made it hard for air traffic controllers to differentiate clearly between the runway and taxiway,” the ministry’s air navigation director Novie Riyanto said, adding that it was a very crucial problem to solve.

Suprasetyo, the ministry’s director general for air transportation, even demanded AP II to build a permanent tower to oversee the airport apron.

The tower is only one of several issues faced by the new terminal that has put planned operations behind the official schedule of June 20. AP II is now even considering dropping the “Ultimate” part from the name “Terminal 3 Ultimate” to avoid confusion with the existing Terminal 3.

Lack of personnel needed to operate T3U is another problem that has raised aviation security issues. From a total of 412 personnel needed, it still lacks 44 personnel, according to the ministry’s field verification results. Lack of personnel, especially during rush hour, can cause flight delays.

Control of access to and from several restricted areas has not met security requirements either, enabling people without access to sneak in. Only 160 security monitoring equipment units, such as CCTV cameras, have been installed out of 200 that are needed.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Hemi Pamuraharjo, said it would be risky to open the new terminal to handle the mass exodus during the Idul Fitri holidays. The government also fears that premature operations may put its efforts to improve aviation safety standards at risk.

As reported before, Indonesia now sits in category 2, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Category 2 means air carriers from the assessed state cannot initiate new services and are restricted to current levels of any existing service to the US, while corrective actions are underway.

Hemi said that if the government could maintain high standards, the country stood a chance to increase its safety to category 1.

The Transportation Ministry says that it will only issue an operational permit when AP II has met all requirements.

As reported before, the T3U is an ambitious AP II project worth around Rp 7 trillion (US$518.71 million), including the cost of facilities. The new terminal is supposed to expand the heavily congested airport’s capacity.

Work is being carried out in two stages. The first stage should have been completed on June 20, after which the terminal could accommodate 15 million passengers. The second and final stage is scheduled for 2017, with total capacity reaching 25 million passengers. (win)