Airport granted int'l status

SEMARANG: The government has upgraded Achmad Yani Airport in Semarang, Central Java, to international status in a bid to boost the provincial economy.

The decision was stipulated in a Ministry of Communications decree dated Aug. 10. It is the second international airport in the province, joining Adisumarmo Airport in Surakarta.

Central Java Governor Mardiyanto announced the airport's new status during a ceremony to celebrate the province's 54th anniversary on Sunday.

He then signed cooperation agreements with the Diponegoro Military chief on the airport's development, and with the Semarang mayor on land acquisitions needed to extend the airport's runways.

The airport also houses the Indonesian Army Aviation Corps. --Antara