Singkawang Airport's Construction Reaches 95 Percent Completion, Minister Says
- ANTARA FOTO/Kornelis Kaha
Kalimantan – The Indonesian Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi revealed that the development of Singkawang Airport in Singkawang City, West Kalimantan Province, had reached 95-percent completion, with the work expected to conclude this year.
"The construction of the airport is at 95-percent completion, and we are currently working on the interior. Its runway of 1,400 meters is done, but we are extending it to two thousand meters," the minister said in a statement on Monday, as reported by Antara site.
During his first-hand inspection of the airport's development progress on Sunday (January 28), Sumadi stated that extension work on the runway is expected to complete in a month or two.
The extension of the runway will enable the airport to serve not only ATR planes but also Airbus A320 aircraft, he continued.
Ilustrasi bandara
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His visit to the airport was undertaken following the initial calibration flight involving a PK-CAN B200GT Super King Air commercial aircraft from Supadio Airport, Kubu Raya District, on Wednesday (January 24).
On the occasion, the Minister highlighted that in building the airport, the government has been utilizing the State Budget (APBN) while collaborating with business actors, including those based in Singkawang, under the public-private partnership scheme.
"Plenty of people from Singkawang have been donors to the development of this airport, including the extension of its runway, from 1,400 meters to two thousand meters," Minister Sumadi explained.
Then, Minister Sumadi highlighted that the airport's development could serve as a good precedent for collaboration between the central and regional governments and business players.
The minister expressed hope that the operation of the airport would further boost interregional connectivity, promote local tourism potentials, create job and business opportunities, and help West Kalimantan to grow its economy.
The construction process of the Singkawang Airport began in 2019, with April 2024 being set as the target for the airport's inaugural operation.
The airport houses a taxiway of 200 x 18 meters, a cargo terminal of 312 square meters, and a passenger terminal building spanning eight thousand square meters.
In addition to reviewing the construction of Singkawang Airport, Sumadi made the most of his visit to West Kalimantan by inspecting the operation of cross-border buses that connect Singkawang to Kuching, Malaysia.
