World Bank to resurvey Buleleng International Airport plan

Denpasar (Antaranews Bali) - Chairman of the Bali legislative assembly (DPRD) I Nyoman Adi Wiryatama said he welcomed plan by a team of consultants assigned by the World Bank to resurvey the feasibility of building an international airport in the district of Buleleng, northern Bali.

"We welcome the plan of a World Bank`s team of consultants to carry out a resurvey, after a previous survey by the bank said the plan was not feasible," Adi Wiryatama said here on Monday.

Several weeks earlier, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, announced the decision of the previous survey that the plan to build an international airport in Buleleng was not feasible.

However, the World Bank agreed to repeat the survey after receiving comprehensive explanation from Bali`s Governor Made Mangku Pastika when explaining the result of a study on "Bali Sustainable Transport and Connectivity Initiative" carried out by a World Bank`s team of consultants in Jakarta early last week.

The governor said the survey should involve Bali regional administration, Bali`s DPRD, community leaders, academicians and other related agencies.

Adi Wiryatama said he shared the opinion of the Governor that a survey to be carried out again by the World Bank`s team of consultants should be more comprehensive.

"The survey should be comprehensive by involving other related agencies including the regional administration as there are many aspects to be considered in valuing the feasibility of building an international airport in northern Bali," he said.

He said the study should not see the plan to build an international airport in Buleleng only from the business point of view alone as in the previous survey.

"Social, economic, cultural and other aspects should also be considered to determine the feasibility of the plan," he said.

He said the local people in the district of Buleleng have continued to keep the hope to see the realization of the old plan.

The plan was first mentioned officially in a regional regulation No. 16 in 2009 on neighborhood (RTRW) of Bali, he added.

He said an international airport in Buleleng is important to cope with imbalance in economic development, which is concentrated in the southern part of the island.

Infrastructure development including construction of an international airport in Buleleng would help create equitable development in Bali.

"Many Balinese, especially young ones, from the northern part of the province have moved to the south where they think life would be better," he said.

Observers said one of the reasons for promoting a second airport on Bali was that the island`s airport has the nations highest volume of international air passengers.

Bali carries a higher load of international aircraft traffic, and is likely to soon carry more as the Indonesian regional airlines enter a period of serious regional domestic and regional route expansion and capacity. (WDY)