Soekarno-Hatta Airport improves services, looks to satisfy public
Multa Fidrus, Tangerang
Everything is coming up roses --- and even smelling like it -- at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng.
The administrators of the airport are clearly tired of being the butt of so many jokes.
Often compared to a crowded and poorly maintained bus terminal, the airport now has a sparkling new look, with spruced- up bathrooms, new artwork and lots of flowers all over.
Airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II completed a 100-day service improvement program on Friday, which was aimed at making visitors and passengers more comfortable.
"We thank the media for criticizing the services, facilities and the look of the airport as being similar to those at the Pulogadung bus terminal," Angkasa Pura II president director Edie Haryoto said on Friday.
He said such criticism triggered the company to start the improvement program on April 6 at a cost of Rp 1 billion (US$112,359).
Travelers may soon forget the long drive through Jakarta traffic to get to the airport once they arrive and find it is now easier to find a parking space. The airport operator had enlarged the existing parking lots and is now constructing new parking lots to accommodate even more cars.
The passenger lounges now have mini-gardens complete with Balinese sculptures and wood carvings, and there are more seats inside the terminals and in the entrance hall.
Lights brighten the entrance road to the airport and other areas around the airport, which used to be dark at night.
The Jakarta Post observed that speed bumps and traffic signs have been put along the entrance road to the airport to control the flow of traffic. Line of taxis were orderly parked, enabling passengers to take their favorite cab and leave the airport without having to wait in a long line.
The airport operator has also provided a separate taxi queue for VIPs and the disabled.
The technical and operational director of Angkasa Pura II, I Gusti Made Dhordy, said the operator had many more beautification plans for the airport.
Welcome billboards will be installed at the airport gates, as well as a statue of Indonesian founding fathers Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta.
"We will pay however much it costs gradually to improve the services and facilities of the airport," he said.
Airport administration chief Untung Rahayu said that in the near future, ojek (motorcycle taxis) would be banned from entering the airport zone.
"By the end of the year, we will operate free shuttle buses to carry passengers, visitors and airport workers to and from the airport zone," he said.
Soekarno-Hatta Airport is second out of the top 100 international airports in the world in terms of passenger growth since 2003. Soekarno-Hatta has seen the number of passengers increase by 33 percent over this time period, trailing only Shanghai Airport in China with 34.2 percent passenger growth.
Soekarno-Hatta has also risen from 71st to 45th among the top 100 international airports in terms of its services and public facilities.