Limited Funding Hampers Soekarno-Hatta Expansion
15 April 2014 11:30 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The process of land acquisition for the construction of a third runway at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) is hampered by funding problems. To that end, Deputy Transportation Minister Bambang Soesantono said the government would create a new regulation that will eliminate the inhibitions, and allow immediate execution of the airport expansion.
"A government regulation is being written by the presidential team of experts since last week. The draft will be finalized approximately in June," Bambang said in Jakarta yesterday.
According to Bambang, the current regulation—PP no.45/2012 on airport management—is no longer relevant. The regulation stipulates that the development of a commercial airport must be done by Angkasa Pura II (AP II) as the manager of Soekarno-Hatta. But AP II cannot afford to buy the land required to build the project on--a roblem related to the company's cash flow.
CGK needs a third runway to accommodate air traffic at the airport. With the addition of a new runway, air traffic movement could increase by 150 percent to 70 million per year. The third runway is expected to require an area of 4,000x60 meters. The first stage of construction would encompass an area of 2,600x60 meters.
Bambang Tjahjono, airport director at the Transportation Ministry, said an additional runway is essential, as CGK's capacity is no longer sufficient to serve transit passengers. Last year, the number of passengers in the airport reached 62 million. In 2020, the number is estimated to grow to 70 million, increasing further to and 100 million in 2030.
NURUL MAHMUDAH