T

he operator of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Tuesday commenced the operation of the new Terminal 3, despite minor complaints over the readiness of the signature facility at the country’s busiest airport.

“Good morning, sir. Do you feel comfortable using this new facility?” Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi asked a passenger waiting to board a domestic flight.

The minister visited Terminal 3, dubbed a new regional hub for international flights in Southeast Asia, to monitor its first day of operation.

“At first, I was confused about finding the boarding gate for my flight. I finally found it after asking one of the officers here,” said the passenger, adding that he was bound for Medan in North Sumatra.

In the arrivals hall, 64-year-old pensioner Budi was waiting to pick up a relative from Yogyakarta. He expressed his frustration at the lack of signage and information.

“I parked my car on the second floor [of the building] but there was no signage to inform me that the arrivals section is located on the ground floor,” said Budi, who also complained about the limited number of ATMs and the absence of an arrivals information screen.

Soekarno-Hatta’s new Terminal 3 is a huge project from state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura (AP) II worth around Rp 7 trillion (US$533.4 million). The terminal is set to cater to domestic and international flights and is expected to accommodate up to 25 million passengers annually.

The terminal, expected to place Soekarno-Hatta on par with Singapore’s Changi Airport and Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, will pamper passengers with a range of luxury lounges, restaurants and retail outlets in its 70,000-square-meter commercial area.

The Transportation Ministry previously refused to give AP II the go-ahead to open the terminal on the initial target date of June 20, citing safety reasons such as unclear views of the apron from the airport’s air traffic control (ATC) tower.

AP II expects the new terminal to be fully operational by March 2017. The firm was also optimistic that it could finish the construction of an elevated electric train inside the airport by early 2017.

Acting AP II president director Djoko Murjatmodjo acknowledged that the terminal was only “40 percent ready” at the time of opening, saying it would take time to revamp the entire 30-year-old airport.

Late on Monday, workers were still seen finishing construction in several areas, mostly outside the facility. Additionally, only three gates were available for domestic passengers.

“We are sorry for the inconvenience. We will conduct evaluations every day so that we can improve, such as adding more signage,” Djoko told reporters on Tuesday.

AP II also aims to rejuvenate the airport’s Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 to achieve a target of serving 62 million passengers per year by mid-2018. The project to revamp the old terminals will be worth Rp 2 trillion.

Minister Budi, who was AP II president director prior to taking office, said he hoped the new terminal would serve as a catalyst to achieve the government’s goal of increasing domestic and foreign tourist numbers in the country.

Notwithstanding the complaints from some travelers, many have applauded the new terminal.

German tourists Matthias Reiser and Markus Feldmeier, bound for Bali for a three-and-a-half-week vacation, approved of the new facility.

“Great, very clean, very modern. And also it was not difficult to find the location, given that there are people working to give information,” Markus said. (mos)
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