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Govt to speed up Sultan Thaha Airport expansion
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (center), State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno (second left), Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan (left), Jambi Governor Zumi Zola (second right) and president director PT Angkasa Pura II Budi Karya Sumadi (right) press the button of a siren marking the inauguration of the Sultan Thaha Airport in Jambi on July 21. (Antara/Muhammad Iqbal)
P
resident Joko "Jokowi" has ordered his subordinates to accelerate the Rp 126 billion (US$9.6 million) expansion of the Sultan Thaha Airport in Jambi in a bid to improve Indonesia's facilities in competition with neighboring countries.
Infrastructure development in the country is one of the key challenges to face global and regional competition, Jokowi said at the inauguration of the airport on Thursday. He instructed the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry and state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II to speed up airport expansion.
"This competition should be immediately prepared for. Otherwise, we will be left behind. Therefore, the Sultan Thaha Airport in Jambi urgently needs to be expanded," Jokowi said as quoted from an official statement sent from the presidential press bureau on Thursday.
The expansion of the airport was expected to commence in 2019. However, due to rapid growth in the airline industry, the government pushed for the expansion to begin in 2017. The expansion project will include a runway, terminal and parking area. (rin)
