Manado airport to be expanded

Manado airport to be expanded

MANADO, North Sulawesi: The runway at the Sam Ratulangi
airport will be extended later this year from 2,500 to 3,000
meters in anticipation of increased traffic by business
executives between Manado and cities in the Philippines, Malaysia
and Brunei.

The head of the North Sulawesi Transportation Office, Freddy
Rorimpandey, said Sam Ratulangi airport should be able to
accommodate wide-bodied jets such as Boeing 747s, DC-10s and MD-
11s by next year.

The runway extension project will begin later this year. The
construction of the first 150 additional meters will be funded by
the Asia Development Bank, and an additional 350 meters will be
funded by through the state budget, Rorimpandey told Antara

He said the expansion has been prompted in part by the newly
established economic cooperation program linking the eastern part
of Indonesia with territories in Brunei, Malaysia and the
Philippines. The Royal Brunei airline plans to begin regular
services between Bandar Sri Begawan and Manado this November.

North Sulawesi is also upgrading the capacity of its Bitung
port, he added. (emb)