Maumere airport renovated

MAUMERE, East Nusa Tenggara: The first F-28 aircraft, with Minister of Communications Agum Gumelar on board, landed at Waioti airport over the weekend to mark the completion of its renovation.

During the test run, Agum checked how all support facilities at the airport, including the communications and safety equipment, worked.

The airport now has a 1,850-meter-long runway, improving its status to second class. Domestic airline Merpati will open regular flights from Denpasar to Kupang via Maumere to boost tourism on the island of Flores.

Built during the Japanese rule between 1942 and 1943 by Sikka king Don Thomas Ximenez da Silva, the airport had a 1,470-meter- long and 30-meter-wide runway.

Some large airplanes touched down at the old airport, including those carrying Pope John Paul II in 1989 and former president Soeharto in 1993. (yac)