Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi and Agrarian and Spatial Planning Deputy Minister Raja Juli Antoni and their entourage were the first passengers to land at the airport.

“Today [Thursday] we conducted a proving flight with a Cessna Citation Longitude, a jet aircraft with the same classification as a Boeing 737,” Budi said in a statement issued by the Transportation Ministry.

“Alhamdulillah [thank God], the aircraft we boarded, landed smoothly and safely at Nusantara airport.”

The Cessna Citation Longitude is operated by the ministry’s Aviation Facilities Calibration Center. Manufactured by United States aircraft maker Cessna, the aircraft has a capacity of up to 12 passengers with a maximum range of 6,482 kilometers.

Budi said the first landing was impressive and extraordinary because the passengers got to see the Nusantara landscape before landing.

“Before landing, we were presented with a beautiful and spectacular view of Nusantara,” he said.

“This is in line with the early development grand design, which retains the greenery.”

Budi added that the verification and calibration stages of the Nusanatara airport had been completed several days ago. The results met aviation security and safety standards, he said.

“The verification was conducted on Sunday and Monday while the calibration was held on Tuesday,” he said.

“Therefore, the airport at Nusantara can be used for the arrival and departure of the presidential aircraft while the President is working in Nusantara.”

The airport runway is 2,200 meters long while the construction of the VIP terminal is 90 percent complete.

The main access road is almost 100 percent complete, while work on other supporting facilities is still ongoing.

Budi was upbeat that the airport would be completed as planned on Dec. 31.

Meanwhile, pilot Capt. Win Warsono said the flight was the inaugural flight to Nusantara airport for a jet aircraft of the class C classification.

The US Federal Aviation Administration classifies class C aircraft as having a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of between 5,670 and 136,077 kilograms.

The Cessna Citation Longitude has an MTOW of 17,916 kg.

Meanwhile, a Boeing 737 is much larger with an MTOW between 49,895 and 87,995 kg, depending on the model. 

The crew had received data from the ministry’s Airport Directorate and verification team, which was then input to the aircraft navigation system.

The ministry’s Navigation Directorate and air navigation provider Airnav also evaluated safety and security procedures.

“Overall, from our analysis, the runway asphalt has a good grip, the braking action was outstanding,” Win said.

“We could stop before 2,200 m with normal configuration.”

The aircraft has a landing distance of 966 m and take-off distance of 1,466 m. (nvn)