Airport name-change faces long, bumpy flight<\/p>\n
Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon, West Java<\/p>\n
The unilateral move by the Cirebon municipality to change the
\nname of Cirebon's airport was not yet legal, an official said at
\nthe Penggung airport here on Saturday.<\/p>\n
"The change in names, from Penggung to Cakrabhuwana Airport,
\nmust get approval from the Ministry of Communications and the
\ngovernor of West Java," Penggung Airport head Dadang Ekasmana
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
A sign reading "Cakrabhuwana Airport" has already been put up
\nat the airport, located in Harjamukti district, 6 kilometers
\nsouth of Cirebon city. The name change was also done without the
\nwritten approval of the airport management.<\/p>\n
Dadang explained the change in name had long been proposed by
\nthe municipality during the tenure of Lesmana Suriaatmadja, mayor
\nof Cirebon from 1998 to 2003.<\/p>\n
The change came in the form of a directive by the Cirebon
\nmayor No. 19\/2003 dated April 14, 2003.<\/p>\n
The mayor's decree became the basis for the proposal of the
\nname change, which was submitted to the Ministry of
\nCommunications in a letter by the mayor on May 21, 2003. "The
\nletter was then replied to by officials from the Directorate
\nGeneral of Air Communications," he said.<\/p>\n
In the reply letter signed by the secretary of the
\ndirectorate, Sri Hardini, it stated that in principle, the
\nministry had no objection in the name change, which is in honor
\nof Cirebon's city founder, Cakrabhuwana.<\/p>\n
"But, the ministry cannot (accept the change) yet as there are
\nother matters outstanding," the letter said.<\/p>\n
It stated the name change must be approved by the minister and
\nmust be registered in the NOTAM (Notice to Airman) and AIP
\n(Aeronautical Information Publication) systems.<\/p>\n
The change then needed to be reported to the International
\nCivil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an international organization
\nunder the supervision of the United Nations, in order to further
\nnotify airlines, airport administrators and other parties related
\nto commercial flights worldwide.<\/p>\n
Based on the letter from the directorate general, the new
\nmayor, Subardi, dispatched a letter dated Dec. 24 to the Governor
\nDanny Setiawan, which requested the governor submit the proposal
\nofficially to the minister.<\/p>\n
But the letter has not yet been replied to by the governor.
\n"Without knowing this, the municipality has erected a signboard
\nwith the new name," he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, the deputy mayor of Cirebon, Agus Al Wafier, said
\nthe municipal government would not demolish the sign reading
\nCakrabhuwana Airport, as it had already been demanded by various
\ngroups in the municipality.<\/p>\n
However, he said the municipal government could compromise.
\n"We will continue our efforts to ask the ministry to immediately
\ngrant our wish," Dadang said.<\/p>\n
The name change has been an ongoing source of controversy in
\nCirebon with councillors at the Cirebon legislature opposing the
\nmove.<\/p>",
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