Adisumarmo can handle 6m passengers a year
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)