Govt to speed up new airport project<\/p>\n
Ridwan Max Sijabat and Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan<\/p>\n
The government said it would speed up the construction of a new
\nairport in Medan following the crash of a Mandala plane that
\nkilled at least 150 people on Monday.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa said on Tuesday that
\nthe tender for the new airport, which has been in the planning
\nsince 1997, would be completed as soon as possible so that the
\nproject could begin early next year.<\/p>\n
"Responding to the pubic's calls for the government to speed
\nup the project, the (central) government along with state-owned
\nPT Angkasa Pura II will work hard to complete the tender later
\nthis year. We hope the construction of the new airport can
\ncommence next year," Hatta said after paying his last respects to
\nNorth Sumatra governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin, who died in the
\ncrash, at the latter's official residence here on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Rizal was among 103 people on board the plane who were killed
\nin the accident, dubbed the worst in the country for the last
\nfive years. The aircraft crashed into a crowded residential area
\nin Padang Bulan district, killing 47 more people on the ground.<\/p>\n
In 1987, a Garuda plane crashed at Polonia airport when one of
\nits wings hit an electricity pole in the housing complex. The
\naccident left 28 people dead.<\/p>\n
Monday's crash occurred after the aircraft failed to take off
\nand ploughed through dozens of houses, residents and motorists.
\nBesides possible human and technical error, many have blamed the
\ncrash on the airport's short runway and its location in a densely
\npopulated area in the middle of the city.<\/p>\n
PT Angkasa Pura II executive Adi Supranto said the existing
\nairport, despite its international status, was too small for
\nmedium- and wide-bodied aircraft, and was also surrounded by high
\nbuildings.<\/p>\n
The current airport stands on 144 hectares of land and its
\nrunway is only 2.9 kilometers in length. "Ideally, a standard
\ninternational airport should have a more spacious area and its
\nrunway should be at least 4 kilometers," he said.<\/p>\n
The company has bought 1,365 hectares of land in Kuala Namo, Deli
\nSerdang, some 40 kilometers south of Medan, and has completed the
\nplans for the new airport.<\/p>\n
"All the land was acquired in 1997 and the area was fenced off
\nin 2002. We also completed the first phase of the drainage works
\nin 2004," he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Adi said that a number of construction companies, including
\nones from Singapore, Japan and France, had submitted bids for the
\nproject, which it is estimated will cost Rp 13 trillion (US$1.3 billion).<\/p>\n
Separately, the speaker of the provincial legislature, Abdul
\nWahab Dalimunte, urged the central government to accelerate the
\nconstruction of the new airport before another accident happened.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-to-speed-up-new-airport-project-1447893297",
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