Airport operator to build terminal

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

An Australian tourist, upon hearing the news that the operator of Juanda Airport would build a mall in the vicinity of the airport, was pleased, saying it would make last-minute souvenir shopping a breeze.

He recalled a particularly boring day last year when the delay of his flight left him wandering around the airport in search of souvenirs -- of which there was not a one.

The tourist, identified only as Brian, said it would be terrific if a mall was built near the airport, the second largest in the country after Soekarno Hatta airport in Jakarta.

The airport operator has also been urged to improve the airport's facilities such as providing bigger waiting rooms, bigger runway taxis and more restaurants.

Juanda airport operator spokesman Edmundus Supriyono said the inputs had not fallen on deaf ears.

"We are currently building a new terminal located on the northern side of the airport, the construction of which will be completed in May 2006," said Supriyono.

The construction will cost the state Rp 236 billion (US$23.6 million). Some 83 percent of funding comes from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), while the remaining 17 percent, from the state budget. Work on the terminal began in May 2001 and it will start operating early in 2007.

The new 326-hectare terminal is being built by a Japanese firm in cooperation with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). It will be able to accommodate 18 more aircraft.

A three-story passenger terminal is being built on 51,500 square meters of land -- with 31,500 square meters for domestic passengers and 20,000 square meters for international passengers.

The new terminal will have 10 elevators and seven escalators.

Supriyono said it would have restaurants and a shopping mall, as well as a 53,600-square-meter parking lot. "We hope the new facilities will increase passenger satisfaction," said Supriyono.

He said the construction of the new terminal was necessary due to the growing number of passengers. Last year, the number of domestic passenger arrivals at the airport was 3.9 million, while in 2002, it was 1.9 million. Similarly, the number of international passenger arrivals at the airport increased to 412,077 last year from 340,513 in 2002. Currently, at least 20 airlines are operating in the airport. "Surabaya is the second largest city in the country and has a very mobile population, in addition to tourists," Supriyono said.