Director General of Air Transportation Suprasetyo said here on Friday that Pondok Cabe airport will face difficulties if it kept operating separately.
"There is a solution. The management of the two airports operations is being merged, and it will work as if Pondok Cabes runway is located at Halim," he said.
The operator of Pondok Cabe airport will be the same as that of Halim airport, namely PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II).
"AP II will be in charge of operations at the two airports," he said.
Suprasetyo said his office will discuss the issue with the Management of the Indonesian Flight Navigation Service (LPPNPI/Airnav Indonesia) to smoothen navigation arrangement.
PT Air Service (a subsidiary of state-owned oil and gas firm Pertamina) and PT Garuda Indonesia must carry out the instruction regarding unification of the two airports before they can operate it (Pondok Cabe) on a commercial basis.
The Transportation Ministry issued the instruction on Wednesday night (Feb.10). The aim behind uniting the two airports operations is to avoid the air corridors of the Halim Perdanakusuma airport from intersecting each other.
The Pondok Cabe airport is expected to begin operations in March to serve various routes, such as Lubuk Linggau, Samarinda, Pangkalan Bun, Semarang, Palembang, Tanjung Karang, Ketapang, Yoyakarta, Cilacap and Cepu.
Pondok Cabe airport has a runway length of 1,984 meters and a width of 45 meters.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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