Minangkabau airport opens for business

PADANG, West Sumatra: Minangkabau International Airport kicked off operations on Friday, making it the first international airport operating in West Sumatra.

With the opening of the new airport, Tabing Airport, the only civilian airport in West Sumatra, which was established in 1971, will close down.

In order to make travel between Padang city and the airport more convenient, the airport operator, PT Angkasa Pura II, has provided 11 air-conditioned buses and 168 taxis for the some 4,200 people that it is estimated will travel through the airport each day. Located in Ketaping, Padang Pariaman regency, a trip to the airport by bus will Rp 10,000 (US$1.04) one way.

The international airport whose runway 2,750 meters long kicked off construction in 2001. The airport is 1.3 hectares wide and can accommodate 1.2 million passengers a year.

The airport's construction is aimed at enhancing tourism in West Sumatra province. -- JP