"Currently, flights to the farthest destination from Yogyakarta are to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to a plan, the farthest destination to be served will be Jiddah, so Yogyakartas inhabitants can go for Hajj from Yogyakarta," the minister stated during a groundbreaking ceremony of the Yogyakarta international airport in Kulon Progo, here, Friday.
The panned airport will have a 10-folds higher capacity than that of the existing Adi Sutjipto Airport in Yogyakarta.
"The airport will become operational in March 2019," he added.
The Adi Sutjipto Airport will be shifted, as its capacity is limited and cannot accommodate more passengers and aircraft, he explained.
The Adi Sutjipto Airport terminal currently measures only 15 thousand square meters and has a capacity to serve 1.2 million passengers per year.
Its runway is only 2,250 meters in length and has an apron that can accommodate a maximum of eight aircraft.
Meanwhile, in its first stage between 2020 and 2031, the new airport will have a 130 thousand-square-meter terminal that can accommodate up to 15 million passengers per year. It will also have a 3,250-meter-long runway and an apron for parking 35 aircraft.
In the second stage between 2031 and 2041, the airport terminal will be expanded to 195 thousand square meters and will have an annual capacity to accommodate up to 20 million passengers. Its runway will stretch 3,600 meters long, and its apron will have room to park 45 aircraft.
Indonesias airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I has allocated Rp9.3 trillion for the construction of the new airport.
The planned airport will be built on 587 hectares of land.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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