InJourney cleans Soekarno-Hatta Airport runway for flight safety
Tangerang (ANTARA) — PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia, or InJourney Airports, as the airport’s main operator, has confirmed that cleaning of facilities and runways at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, to remove volcanic dust is continuing on a regular basis.
Assistant Deputy for Communication and Legal at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Yudistiawan, said in Tangerang on Monday that the measure was taken in anticipation of the impact of volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, which began on Sunday (6/9).
“We are carrying out periodic cleaning so that the workload is not too heavy all at once, because we must ensure the facilities are ready when it is decided we can resume operations,” he said.
Yudis noted that cleaning of airport facilities is also being done to ensure safety and security requirements are met before Soekarno-Hatta International Airport returns to full operations once the situation normalises.
The cleaning covers runway 1 and runway 2, as well as taxiway and apron areas, and has been under way since last night. Follow-up cleaning will continue to be carried out regularly to keep the facilities in optimal condition.
“We continue to monitor developments on the ground, including paper test data, which so far still shows positive results for the presence of volcanic dust spread across the airport area,” he said.
He revealed that the reopening of flight operations at the airport remains fluid and cannot yet be confirmed, as the company will refer to the official NOTAM, which has been updated to extend the closure until 18.00 Western Indonesia Time (WIB).
“As we are all aware, the latest NOTAM has decided that the temporary closure of Soekarno-Hatta Airport extends until 18.00 WIB,” he said.
He recorded that 624 flights to a number of airports remain delayed due to the impact of volcanic ash from the Mount Anak Krakatau eruption. Of that figure, 461 are domestic routes, 156 international routes, and seven cargo flights. These flight plans are estimated to involve around 75,236 passengers.
Nevertheless, InJourney urged all prospective passengers not to rush to the airport to avoid crowding and exhaustion. Passengers are advised to continue monitoring official information channels, both from the airport operator and their respective airlines.
“In my view, the best thing is to wait for the announcement that Soekarno-Hatta Airport can indeed resume operations — don’t come all the way here only to find it is not yet operational,” he said.