Indonesia considering new Jakarta airport

Indonesia considering new Jakarta airport

2011-01-07 14:56:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- An airport spokesman on Friday confirmed that the government is considering building a new airport in the area surrounding the Indonesian capital city, the Jakarta Globe reported.

Feri Utamayasa, spokesman for state-owned airport management firm Angkasa Pura II, said that the government is also considering expanding the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Jakarta currently needs a new facility as the current airport is no longer capable of handling the air traffic, and Soekarno-Hatta airport is considered to be very small for coping with the fast-growing number of passengers and flights.

The Jakarta government's first option is building a new international airport in either the cities of Cilegon in Banten or Karawang in West Java. In addition, officials are analyzing if the current airport can be expanded in order to increase its capacity. The Soekarno-Hatta airport is located about 35 kilometers (21 miles) northwest of the capital and its proximity is its main advantage.

However, an expansion should be analyzed carefully as it threatens to displace residents living nearby in Tangerang. On the other hand, the two proposed locations are further from the capital city, which hosts most of the passengers.

Cilegon is an industrial city located on the west coast, approximately 80 kilometers (49 miles) from Jakarta. Karawang, known also as the nation's rice bowl, is around 70 kilometers (43 miles) east of the capital.

The two proposals are being studied by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as requested by the Indonesian government and the results of the study are expected by next year. Authorities currently believe that the current airport could still be functional for at least 20 years.

"It's too early to say whether the new airport will be located in Cilegon or Karawang," JICA representative Higuchi Hajime told the Jakarta Globe. "If Angkasa Pura II sees the locations as ideal, we will discuss with them about the possibilities there."

The study of the master plan began last October and JICA will also calculate the cost and other technical aspects, including the design and capacity of a potential new airport.

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