“The development of the runway and the apron of the airport has been 100 percent completed,” said Awaluddin on Tuesday night while inspecting the preparation of the soft launch of the airport, as reported by kompas.com.

Meanwhile, the development progress of the airport's supporting facilities, such as the parking and pick-up areas, had reached 70 percent, Awaluddin said, adding that the facilities would be fully ready within one month.

(Read also: Terminal expansion, modernization looks to boost foreign tourist arrivals in 2017)

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi agreed with Awaluddin that the airport was ready for operations on Wednesday.

The operation of the airport would boost tourist arrivals in the province, which would significantly improve the economy for the people, he said.

Initially, the soft launch was scheduled on Dec. 16, marking the province's 16th anniversary, but it was delayed because of technical problems. (bbn)

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