"As the gateway to Ternate, Sultan Babullah Airport is fully prepared to accommodate Nusantara Day activities in 2023," said M. Kristi Endah Murni, the ministry's Director General of Air Transportation, in Jakarta.
This year, the ministry has been selected by the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment to lead the 2023 Nusantara Day Committee, she added.
The commemoration activities, which will be centered in Tidore City and themed "Knitting Nusantara Connectivity and Maritime Economy from Zero Point of the Spice Route," are expected to draw local as well as foreign tourists.
Tidore Island was chosen as the host for the commemoration of Nusantara Day as it was the starting point of the spice route to Europe on December 11, 1521, which was later declared by the government as National Spice Day.
According to Murni, Sultan Babullah Airport has a runway measuring 2,300 meters x 45 meters, which capable of handling Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A320 type aircraft, and a passenger terminal covering an area of 9,600 square meters, which can accommodate up to 400,000 passengers.
In addition to ensuring infrastructure readiness at the airport, the ministry is also coordinating with airlines for operating additional flights from and to Ternate to accommodate the needs of travelers.
It is also synergizing with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), AirNav, Immigration Office, and Port Health Office to support smooth air transportation during the Nusantara Day event commemoration.
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Translator: Adimas P, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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