TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport is amidst a thorough preparation to welcome the landing of the last of the giant commercial jets, the Airbus A380. The 600-passenger capacity aircraft is planned to make a landing at the airport in June this year.

The Transportation Ministry’s Director General of Air Transportation, Maria Kristi Endah Murni, on Tuesday said that they are preparing a special operational plan, both technically and in service, to facilitate the takeoff and landing of the aircraft, Antaranews reported.

"Because the capacity of this aircraft is very large and the dimensions of the aircraft consist of two floors, it requires different handling time and equipment compared to other aircraft," she said in his statement, Tuesday, January 31.

Preparations are conducted jointly between the Region IV Airport Authority Office (OBU) and state airport operator Angkasa Pura I and other stakeholders, which include ground handling, jet bridge, field handling, customs, immigration and quarantine, Aviation Accident Assistance Unit and Fire Extinguisher (PK-PPK) and passenger handling (pax handling).

In an emergency situation, authorities will also prepare a nearby alternative airport that will be able to accommodate the Airbus A380 which has a wingspan of 78 meters and a length of 73 meters.

Considering the Airbus aircraft’s large seating capacity, Ngurah Rai Airport will make available 12 check-in counters, compared to the normal 4-6 counters for more “normal-sized” aircraft. The jumbojet has never departed from an Indonesian airport throughout its global service except for an emergency landing in 2012.

ANTARA

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