This is the second part in a series on problems and opportunities for Indonesian airports.

Businessman Ali Imron said it used to take him at least eight hours to get to Lampung province (overland) from his base in the metropolitan town of Tangerang, Banten province.

However, thanks to reductions in the cost of air travel he has been able to take the plane for this journey since several years ago. Traveling by air is much quicker, so Ali can spend more time tending to his business.

“The same journey takes me only 40 minutes by plane. This saves my time and improves my business productivity,” the busy businessman told The Jakarta Post.

The reduction in Ali’s travel time is also a result of the development of Radin Inten II International Airport, Lampung’s main air gateway. The development project began several years ago, and as result, the airport upgraded its status to officially become an international airport on Dec. 28, 2008.

Radin Inten II has a 2.5-kilometer-long, 45-meter-wide runway that meets international standards. By next year, the government will extend the runway to 3,500 meters long and 60 meters wide.

The expansion of the airport also aims at supporting tourism in the province, as well as improving services for people going on pilgrimages to Mecca.

“Until now pilgrims have had to go to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten province to fly to Mecca. The development of Radin Inten II airport will allow haj pilgrims to fly to Mecca directly from Lampung, making the haj pilgrimage journey faster,” Lampung Governor Sjachroedin Z.P. said.

A rapid development of airports has also been seen in other regions. In Makassar, South Sulawesi, the government has extended the runways of Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport to 3.1 kilometers, to accommodate large aircraft such as the Boeing 747, improving accessibility to the city recognized as the gateway eastern Indonesia.

Makassar is the largest city in eastern Indonesia. The extension allows the airport to accommodate up to 143 flights, carrying up to 14,140 passengers, a day.

The government — through state run airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I — has also expanded the capacity of the Makassar airport terminal to 52,000 square meters, allowing it to accommodate a whopping 7 million passengers a year.

The expansion was undertaken to cope with the growing number of passengers using air transportation services, said Kintoron, a spokesman for PT Angkasa Pura I.

“In 2003, there were 2.5 million passengers [using Sultan Hasanuddin airport], but last year this figure doubled to reach 5.1 million passengers,” he told The Jakarta Post.

In Palembang, the government plans next year to expand the capacity of Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport terminal to 34,000 square meters, from 23,000 square meters at present.

In fact, the government had planned to expand the terminal several years ago, and the project has only recently been accelerated on the grounds that the airport will be busy receiving regional athletes set to participate in the 2011 Southeast Asia Games (SEA Games), to be hosted by South Sumatra next year.

The airport, which was built in 2005, could originally accommodate up to 2 million passengers a year. However, after it is expanded, the airport will be able to serve around 4 million passengers a year.

“The expansion project will cost the state Rp 150 billion,” said Yon Sugiyono, the general manager of the Palembang branch of PT Angkasa Pura II. The airport, situated in Sukarame, around 10 kilometers from the heart of Palembang, will be redeveloped so it can accommodate larger aircraft such as the Airbus A330 and Boeing 747.

The government is also working on the construction of a new airport in Deli Serdang regency, to replace the Polonia Airport, near Medan, the capital of North Sumatra. The project, Kuala Namu International Airport, is expected to be completed this year. The new airport, which features a 3,750-meter runway and 33 aircraft parking bays for passenger jets including as the Airbus A330, will be able to accommodate up to 8 million passengers a year.

Many airports, especially those situated outside Java Island are poorly managed. Kusniar, who often flies back and forth between Jakarta and Palu, Central Sulawesi, said she no longer used the toilets at Mutiara airport in Palu, because they were dirty and smelled bad.

“I went to those toilets once, and have never been back,” Kusniar said.

At Hasanuddin airport in Makassar, one traveller complained about signage and banking facilties.

“The airport management should put up more directional signs so passengers can find their baggage more easily. They should also improve public banking facilities, for example by adding more ATMs across the airport,” businessman Andi Tenri Gappa said.

Meanwhile, in Ambon, the capital of Maluku province, people complained about the high cost of public transportation to and from the airport.

“It’s just too expensive,” said Saswati Matakena, an Ambon resident who often flies between Ambon and other cities in Indonesia. For example, renting a car to get from the airport to the heart of the city, only 38 kilometers away, could cost from Rp 150,000 to 200,000 per trip. In fact, there are many taxis operating at the airport — both legal and illegal — but they often refuse to use their meters at the expense of customers, she said.

— Khairul Saleh in Palembang, Apriadi Gunawan in Medan, Oyos Saroso in Bandarlampung, Suherjoko in Semarang, Andi Hajramurni in Makassar, Azis Tunny in Ambon and Ruslan Sangadji in Palu contributed to this report, compiled by The Jakarta Post staff writer A’an Suryana

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