Three Airlines Serve Kupang-Darwin-Dili Route
11 March 2014 12:16 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Three airlines will provide flights with Kupang-Dili-Darwin route starting from April 2014. Those three airlines are Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air and TransNusa.
House of Representatives' Commission XI chief Laurens Bahang Dama said the planes for the new route will transit in Dili, Timor Leste. This route was previously serviced by PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines' Boeing plane, but was closed after the conflict in East Timor in 1999.
Laurens said that this route is reopened, tourism sector will recover and foreign investment in East Nusa Tenggara will increase. "All that is left is signature from the Ministry of Transportation," he said on Tuesday.
Before the route is opened, several facilities in Kupang's El Tair Airport such as passenger waiting room and aircraft parking space are being improved. Laurens said Kupang-Darwin route can already be in operation as basic facilities related to international airport such as customs, immigration and quarantine offices are ready.
PT Angkasa Pura 1 general manager Imam Pramono said El Tari's runway is 2,500 meters long and 45 meters wide and able to accomodate Boeing 737 series 900 plane. The airport's apron capacity is 12 planes and always full. Passenger terminal will be enlarged from 5,000 to 6,000 square meters. "They will be completed in June," he said.
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