The countdown has begun for the construction of Yogyakarta’s new airport, which is expected to cater to the rising number of tourists visiting the area.

The New Yogyakarta International Airport (NYIA) in Kulon Progo will take over the role of Adisutjipto International Airport in Sleman, which is owned by the Air Force.

It will have the capacity to facilitate 20 million passengers per year, substantially higher than Adisutjipto’s 1.2 million passengers annually.

During NYIA’s groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said he expected the airport to be ready for operation by March 2019, as promised by Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi.

“Every decision for sure has a risk. If [the construction] is continuously postponed, it will not be finished,” the President said in his remarks, adding that the airport’s development plan was conceived six to seven years ago, but was never followed through.

Quoting an old prophecy of Javanese king Jayabaya, Jokowi said the airport was predicted to become a lighthouse for Indonesia and the world.

Having a new airport is deemed crucial for Yogyakarta. The capital is known as a “student city” and welcomes more than 10,000 new university students every year.

The province boasts various tourist destinations as well, which attract domestic and foreign tourists to visit and also learn Javanese culture.

The latest data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows Adisutjipto welcomed 101,181 direct foreign visitors from January to November 2016, an increase of more than 40 percent from the same period in 2015. Compared to 2011, the visitors’ figure had already increased by more than twofold.

However, with actual capacity of only 1.2 million passengers per year, the existing airport must serve up to 7.2 million annually.

NYIA will be built in two phases. In the first phase, which is scheduled for completion in March 2019, state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura I will build a 3,250-meter by 60-m runway at the location. By then, the airport will be able to accommodate 15 million passengers a year.

Meanwhile, in the second phase, the length of the runway will be extended by 350-m
and passenger capacity will be pushed to 20 million per year. NYIA will be able to accommodate big aircraft such as the Boeing B747-400.

“The number of routes served will also increase. If previously the farthest one was Kuala Lumpur, later it would be able to serve a direct fight to Jeddah, thus providing ease for people wanting to go on the haj,” Minister Budi said.

According to the ministry, land procurement for the airport has reached 91 percent.

Meanwhile, farmers grouped under Wahana Tri Tunggal (WTT) and activists staged protests some 2-kilometers from the site during the groundbreaking ceremony.

Around 350 families refused to move from their homes and agricultural fields located on the development site, arguing they were living well as farmers. “The airport is only beneficial for tourism, not for farmers,” WTT chairman Martono said.

WTT argued that the future location of the houses would prevent them from carrying out business as usual and that they had only been given compensation for their agricultural fields.

Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) director Hamzal Wahyudin said the development of NYIA violated human rights because it was occurring on productive land, thus threatening the local food supply.

He said 60,000 farmers would lose their livelihood, including from the production of 90 tons of chili and 180 tons of melon per year.

“Due to the numerous problems, President Joko Widodo should not have launched the development of NYIA,” he said.

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