Minister Dudy Ensures Optimal Utilisation of Kertajati Airport
Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi has ensured the optimal utilisation of Kertajati Airport in Majalengka, West Java, transforming it into an area for aircraft maintenance and other supporting aviation industry activities. “We continue to encourage Kertajati to be optimised,” the minister said in a statement confirmed in Jakarta on Tuesday. He made the statement in response to the planned reactivation of Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung, West Java, and confirmed that the reactivation would not affect Kertajati Airport’s role. Dudy explained that the Kertajati Airport area has a development concept for an aviation park that supports various airport-related activities. Through this development, the government is encouraging aircraft maintenance, repair, and other supporting services to utilise the facilities available at Kertajati Airport. “So it is not just flights, but also flight-related activities, such as maintenance and others, that we encourage to utilise Kertajati Airport,” he said. Dudy revealed that PT Garuda Maintenance Facility Aero Asia Tbk (GMF) is currently in the process of relocating its helicopter maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) activities to the Kertajati Airport area. In addition, the Ministry of Defence is discussing a cooperation plan with US manufacturer Lockheed Martin to build a maintenance facility for Hercules aircraft at Kertajati. According to Dudy, the government is open to all activities that support the optimisation of Kertajati Airport, both in the aviation sector and the airport support industry. “We are open to anything related to the optimisation of Kertajati Airport. So our focus is on how this airport can operate optimally,” he explained. He stressed that the Ministry of Transportation continues to support various operational activities, aircraft maintenance, and aviation industry development so that Kertajati Airport can operate optimally. “We will definitely support any activities related to aviation. That is what we are doing,” he asserted.