President Jokowi Orders Expansion Of Small Airports

Jambi (Antara Bali) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has issued a directive to expand small airports across Indonesia, starting 2017, to anticipate an increase in passengers and economic growth.

Airport terminals should be expanded, and the runways need to be lengthened, the head of state stated while inaugurating the Sultan Thaha Airport's new terminal in Jambi City, Jambi Province, Sumatra Island, here, Thursday.

The Sultan Thaha Airport will serve as a pilot project for the development of small airports by the government, as there is need for further expansion, according to Jokowi.

The president also called for the construction of new terminals and runways in small airports in Muarabungo and Kerinci, Jambi.

"Land acquisition should be handled by the governor and district heads. The workload should be shared. If land acquisition could be settled quickly, it means my instruction could be carried out, starting 2017," the president noted.

Airports, with adequate capacity, will accelerate mobility, transportation, and the movement of cargo and finally improve efficiency, which is crucial in the competitive era, he remarked.

"If we do not take these steps, we will be late and be left behind other countries. Other nations are forging ahead, and we remain idle. We do not want that. We must win in this era of stiff international competition," he pointed out.

There should be no delays in aircraft landings and takeoffs as it causes queuing, Jokowi emphasized.

Jambi Governor Zumi Zola said the Sultan Thaha Airport had handled over 986 thousand passengers in 2010, and the number increased by more than 24 percent in 2015 despite being affected by haze due to forest fires.

Transportation Minister Ignasius Johan noted that the government had spent Rp236 billion for the expansion of the Sultan Thaha Airport that has a capacity to accommodate 1.6 million passengers and has a 12 thousand square-meter large terminal.

"The apron has been expanded to upgrade the earlier capacity of accommodating five medium-class aircraft to seven aircraft," the minister added. (WDY)