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Grand launch of Kertajati Airport set for mid next year
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Passengers arrive at Terminal 1 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Baten, on Jan. 2. The Transportation Ministry expects to open Kertajati Airport mid next year to ease traffic at Soekarno-Hatta airport. (Antara/Lucky R)
T
he government expects the grand launch of the new Kertajati international airport in Majalengka, West Java, to occur in June next year.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said Friday that after checking the progress of construction, he anticipated Kertajati Airport’s grand launch, which would mark the kicking off of commercial operations, would be in February or March next year, later than expected.
So far, construction progress on the airport, which is expected to handle 8.6 million passengers each year, has reached 32 percent.
(Read also: Ministry appointed to develop Kertajati)
Budi said the runway needed to be extended to 3,000 meters, from the 2,500 meters at present. "At that time, the airport should be able to welcome a Boeing 737," he said.
Kertajadi Airport, worth Rp 10 trillion (US$750.18 million), is being built to ease aircraft and passenger congestion at the country’s main gate, Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Tangerang, Banten, and also replace the Husein Sastranegara International Airport in Bandung, West Java, as the commercial airport of the region.
Budi, however, said that despite the delayed launch, a soft launch could still be carried out in January or February next year, which would be followed by a trial operation. (lnd)
