"Some flights will be temporarily diverted to eight nearby airbases to anticipate the surge in arrival of tourists at the airport (in Palembang)," Bayuh Iswantoro, the executive general manager of the state-owned airport operator, PT Angkasa Pura II, said here on Thursday.
Eight airports that will be prepared during the Asian Games are situated at Batam City, Riau Islands; Medan, North Sumatra; Pekanbaru, Riau; Jambi; Padang, West Sumatra; Bengkulu; Pangkalpinang; and Pontianak, West Kalimantan.
However, diverting flights to the eight airbases is the operator`s last option, as the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport in Palembang is designed to accommodate 13 aprons.
The airport, he further stressed, is fit for seven Boeing 737 NGs, three Airbus A330s, and three small airplanes. Iswantoro emphasized that the operator has also provided taxiways to anticipate the surge.
Some 3.4 million passengers arrive at the 34,000 meter square airport per year, while about 120 to 130 flights go to and from the airbase per day.
The Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport now has accommodated 11 airlines, with 16 domestic routes and two international routes.
For the 18th Asian Games, the airport has prepared to welcome the athlete arrivals, along with their officials, supporters, and families. Upon their arrivals, the operator has provided 36 check-in counters, four conveyor belts, and a 1,800 meter square cargo terminal.
The operator has also completed the construction of a 120-meter-connecting bridge from the airport terminal to the nearest Light Rail Transit (LRT) station. The LRT will be operational for athletes and officials before the opening of Asian Games.
"On June 15, the bridge and the LRT were launched by President Joko Widodo," Iswantoro stated.
Reporter: Genta Tenri Mawangi
Editor: Bustanuddin
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