"The Juwata Airport will become a transit airport in the northern area of Indonesia connecting provinces and cities as well as neighboring countries, such as the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, and Malaysia," Jokowi said.Tarakan, N Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has inaugurated the upgraded Juwata Airport in Tarakan City of North Kalimantan Province, where the runway and passenger terminal have been expanded.
"The Juwata Airport will become a transit airport in the northern area of Indonesia connecting provinces and cities as well as neighboring countries, such as the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, and Malaysia," Jokowi said here on Wednesday.
Widodo said currently, the runway at the Juwata Airport was 2,250 meters long and 45 meters wide.
The President has asked the Minister of Transportation, Ignasius Jonan, to further expand the runway to 2,500 meters in 2016.
"I told the minister that I hope that the runway expansion can be done this year," Widodo said.
Several state officers accompanied President Widodo during the inauguration, such as Minister Jonan and the Governor of North Kalimantan, Irianto Lamrie.
Additionally, Lamrie said the Juwata Airport was established at the time of the Dutch colonization.
According to Lamrie, Juwata operated as a domestic airport in 2000 with an average of 1,400 passengers per year, a figure that increased by 13.8 percent with each passing year.
Minister Jonan added that the Juwata Airport has been now planned to function as an international transit point in Indonesia.
Jonan said several airlines can utilize the airport as a transit facility for flights heading to Hong Kong, Manila and Bandar Seri Begawan.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
