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Silangit Airport expansion to finish in April
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A number of tourists enjoy a view of Lake Toba in North Sumatra, one of the 10 regions being developed as a premier tourist destination. (Antara/Ahmad Subaidi)
T
he expansion of Silangit Airport will finish in April and the construction of new toll roads are expected to boost tourist arrivals to Lake Toba in North Sumatra -- one of the 10 regions being developed to become a main tourist destination.
Currently, the Silangit Airport’s passenger terminal encompasses an area of 500 square meters and will be expanded to 1,700 m2.
After the expansion, its passenger capacity will reach 500,000 passengers a year from 15,000 passengers a year.
(Read also: Terminal expansion, modernization looks to boost foreign tourist arrivals in 2017)
The airport’s relatively new runways and aircraft apron area will also undergo an overlaying process, said state airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II’s president director Muhammad Awaludin on Friday.
“I’m hoping that by April 2017, the newly expanded terminal and the newly overlaid runway will be ready,” Awaludin added.
The development efforts have so far cost about Rp 350 billion (US$26.23 million) for both the terminal expansion and the runway improvement. Awaludin added that after the revamp, aircraft as large as the Boeing 737-800 will be able to land there.
Currently, the largest aircraft that is able to land at Silangit Airport are Boeing 737-500s.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Toll Road Authority (BPJT) head Herry Trisaputra Zuna noted that the Tebingtinggi-Parapat toll route will be combined with the also in progress Tebingtinggi-Kuala Tanjung route, spanning 140 kilometers.
The project is to be handled by the BPJT in mid-February. (bbn)
