Adisumarmo can handle 6m passengers a year

JAKARTA (JP): The Adisumarmo airport in Surakarta, Central Java is expected to accommodate up to six million passengers per year within the next 20 years, an executive said yesterday.

Darma Tyanto Saptodewo, a PT Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada executive, said the airport's runway had been expanded to 2,400 meters from 1,800 meters to accommodate wide-body aircraft.

"A MD11 jet is now able to land and take off from the airport," he said after speaking on business opportunities in the Yogyakarta-Solo-Semarang (Joglosemar) area here yesterday.

The Adisumarmo expansion project, developed under a 20-year joint operation contract with state-owned airport management firm PT Angkasa Pura I, will be carried out in several phases, with the first stage already underway.

The first phase, carried out by Lamtoro Gung's subsidiary PT Yala Perkasa Internasional in cooperation with the government, involves Rp 30 billion (US$10 million) investment.

He said the Adisumarmo airport, which has a capacity to receive about 200 domestic and international flights, handled only 250,000 passengers per annum.

"We expect other overseas airlines from Asia and Europe will soon fly to Surakarta," Saptodewo said, adding the Joglosemar area would be developed into a major tourist destination and a potential business center.

"We will encourage foreign investors to enter the area and not just focus on the greater Jakarta area," he said.

Funds

Saptodewo said about 30 percent of the Rp 30 billion investment funds for the first expansion phase was provided by Angkasa Pura, while the remainder was from Lamtoro Gung -- controlled by President Soeharto's eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana.

Lamtoro Gung's investment will also cover the cost of improving the interior design and landscaping as well as additional facilities in the passenger terminal and cargo warehouses.

The government has made Adisumarmo an international airport to support tourism in Yogyakarta, Surakarta and Semarang, which are well-known for their traditional Javanese culture. The Adisumarmo airport was considered more appropriate for the expansion because of its geographical location.

Lamtoro Gung is also planning to construct a toll road connecting Surakarta and Yogyakarta.

Saptodewo said yesterday the groundbreaking of the toll road project was scheduled to take place later this year. (icn)