BANDUNG, September 21 (EngineeringDaily) -- The Indonesian Ministry of Transportation plans to construct 24 new airports to connect remote areas of the country. These airports, referred to as “pioneering airports” due to their location in remote areas, will primarily be built in eastern Indonesia. The potential for air travel markets in remote areas is quite high, but has not been well explored due to lack of infrastructure.
Susi Pudjiastuti, President Director of Susi Air, said, "Currently, we serve approximately 200 commercial aircraft routes. But there are still more than 100 routes which are not being serviced by Susi Air." Susi Air is currently the leader of pioneering flight operators in Indonesia.
Deputy of Transportation Minister Bambang Susantono states that eastern Indonesia, in addition to high air travel potential, has a lot of economic potential that has also not been well developed due to poor connectivity with the rest of the country. Along with commodities, these areas have high-quality natural tourism, such as diving which is currently a worldwide trend.
Until now, the economic axis in eastern Indonesia has tended towards a more northerly route, namely from Ambon in Maluku Province to Makassar in South Sulawesi Province. "Activity in Southeast Maluku and Maluku province has typically been oriented towards the north-south corridor. I hope in the future there will be a reorientation of the economic axis," Susantono said. This reorientation will mean that Maluku, Southeast Maluku, and East Nusa Tenggara will be the centers of the new economic axis, extending the trade corridor farther east and south.
The plan for the new “pioneering airports” is actually a continuation of a similar program started in 2012. The airports are planned to have runways between 900 and 1,400 meters long and 300 meters wide, enough to accommodate the plane types ATR-42 and ATR-72, DHC-7, Casa C-212 and Hercules C-130. On average, each airport will need a minimum of Rp 200 billion (USD 17 million) for construction. The exact timetable and costs for each airport have not been revealed.
By Ismail Al Anshori
