The airport in the country’s upcoming capital Nusantara looks set to become a commercial hub in East Kalimantan, after President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced that the facility will open for commercial flights by the end of 2024.
The airport was initially meant for so-called very, very important persons or VVIPs, which refers to those with large spending power, high political rank or socio-economic status.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday after making his first landing at the Nusantara Airport, which is still under construction, Jokowi said: “I have ordered the transportation minister to change Nusantara Airport’s status to a commercial airport.”
When it opens by the end of the year, the airport is expected to be able to accommodate up to 200,000 passengers, with a long-term goal of handling seven million passengers annually, said Jokowi.The president, who will be working from the upcoming capital until he hands the reins of government to his successor Prabowo Subianto on Oct 20, said the change in the airport’s status will benefit the surrounding community in Nusantara.
Specifically, it will enable those living in the area to embark on religious pilgrimages like the haj.
The airport was originally scheduled to start operations in August, ahead of Indonesia’s 79th Independence Day on Aug 17, but its completion was delayed.
Built at a cost of 4.3 trillion rupiah (RM1.2bil), the airport has a runway that is expected to be 3,000m long and 45m wide, which is big enough to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft used for international flights.
Latest reports indicate that its terminal and main access roads are almost completed, but work on other supporting facilities are still ongoing.
The move to change the status of the airport is also expected to encourage visitors to Nusantara. Prior to this, visitors had to travel to the city of Balikpapan, a two-hour drive from Nusantara, to board their commercial flights.
The US$35bil (RM145bil) construction of Nusantara seeks to turn more than 2,000sq km in East Kalimantan into a smart, green city over the next three decades.
Located more than 1,000km northeast of the current capital Jakarta, the project was initially slated to have some 10,000 civil servants living there by now.
Indonesia intends to eventually move nearly 33,000 of them to Nusantara, but the plans have been delayed.
The government has cited the need to complete the housing complexes and digital infrastructure first to ensure a smooth transition. — The Straits Times/ANN
