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irports in Batam, Riau Islands province, and Bandung, West Java, are planning international cooperation as well as improved facilities to welcome an increasing number of passengers.

Hang Nadim International Airport, which is managed by the Batam Free Trade Zone Authority (BPK FTZ), has leased its runway to Singapore'€™s Tiger Airways as a training facility for A320 jetliner trainee pilots during idle flight slots.

Airport general affairs head Suwarso told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that Tiger Airways had established cooperation with Hang Nadim airport from early December to use the airport as a facility to train pilots who would be promoted to operate the Airbus A320 jetliners.

'€œAmong the reasons why they have picked Hang Nadim is its proximity to Singapore and its facilities, such as the runway, which is the longest in the country, and that the airport is not as crowded as Singapore'€™s,'€ said Suwarso.

According to Suwarso, the training schedule is once a week in three-hour periods per session and takes place during idle flight slots from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m., or at night.

'€œThis cooperation is one of the airport'€™s means of income. They will make 32 takeoffs and landings during each session. So far, it has all been safe and smooth,'€ said Suwarso, who declined to mention the contract value.

Hang Nadim airport is equipped with a 4,025-meter runway, which is also able to serve the jumbo A380 jetliners owned by Qantas.

Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appointed Batam BPK FTZ to manage Hang Nadim airport in August this year, meaning it is allowed to act independently to optimize available resources.

Separately, Husein Sastranegara International Airport in Bandung is upbeat about a surge in passenger numbers by year end, thanks to five additional new routes initiated by a number of airlines.

State-run airport management firm PT Angkasa Pura II general manager Yayan Hendrayani said the new routes were for Bandung-Makassar, Bandung-Kuala Lumpur, Bandung-Denpasar and Bandung-Palembang.

'€œAlso Garuda Indonesia will start serving the Bandung-Batam route on Dec. 19. The route was formerly served only by Lion Air,'€ Yayan said in Bandung on Wednesday, adding the other new routes would be launched on Dec. 26.

Regarding the targeted number of passengers, Yayan said PT Angkasa Pura II had not set a very high target. In 2013, the airport, currently under renovation, served 2.46 million passengers. He forecast that by the end of the year, passenger numbers would reach 3.08 million international and domestic passengers.

'€œLast year, the increase in the number of passengers was around 30 percent. This year, we estimate a rise of between 3 and 4 percent. This is already good,'€ said Yayan, adding they expected a surge in passengers beginning Dec. 22.

Each day, the airport serves an average 8,000 domestic and international passengers. During holiday seasons, such as Idul Fitri this year, the airport served up to 10,000 passengers. '€œThe lowest is around 7,500 passengers daily,'€ said Yayan.

Based on data from the West Java Central Statistics Agency, the number of foreign tourists arriving through Husein Sastranegara airport from August to October this year stood at 15,018 people.