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Kertajati Airport expects slight delay in grand launch
The government predicted on Friday a slight delay in the full operation of West Java’s Kertajati International Airport as it will still need to make some upgrades following a soft launch scheduled early next year
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he government predicted on Friday a slight delay in the full operation of West Java’s Kertajati International Airport as it will still need to make some upgrades following a soft launch scheduled early next year.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said that after checking the progress of construction, he anticipated Kertajati’s grand launch, which would mark the kick off of commercial operations, would take place in June, later than expected.
“We initially expected to finish [the airport] by February or March, but given the current progress, it [will hopefully be complete] by June,” he said.
So far, construction progress on the airport has reached 32 percent.
Budi said the runway needed to be extended to 3,000 meters, from the 2,500 meters at present.
“At that time [June], the airport should be able to welcome a Boeing 737,” he said.
Kertajati Airport, worth Rp 10 trillion (US$750.18 million), is being built to ease aircraft and passenger congestion at the country’s main gateway, 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.
The president director of province-owned enterprise Bandara Internasional Jawa Barat (BIJB), Virda Dimas Ekaputra, whose company has been tasked to manage Kertajati, said there was a slight miss in the construction pace target but quickly reassured that it was “insignificant”.
“During the soft launch, the airport will operate at minimum [levels] to accommodate only a few number of flights,” he said on Friday.
“It is a trial to see how it goes.”
Virda said that heavy rains had recently slowed down construction progress. He, however, said everything was still “under control”.
After the conclusion of the initial phase of its development, the new airport is expected to handle at least 5 million passengers.
Upon completion of the final phase, Kertajati Airport will be able to accommodate around 18 million passengers annually.
BIJB finance director Muhammad Singgih earlier said 70 percent of the funding would be derived from its internal cash reserves and regional government capital injections, while the rest would be obtained from loans.
The company has secured Rp 537.5 billion in cash in a capital injection from the West Java government, nearly a quarter of the figure it aims to garner for the initial phase.
