Indonesia aims to expand main airport in Jakarta in July

JAKARTA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The expansion of the world's 13th busiest airport, Soekarno-Hatta airport in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, is to kick off in July to support the growth in passengers and cargo, local media reported on Friday.

The first phase of the project would include the expansion of the third terminal and the construction of an access road, a cargo terminal and a new integrated building linking the three terminals, said Tri Suriadjie Sunoko, president director of state airport operator Angkasa Pura II, quoted by the Jakarta Globe English newspaper.

Soekarno-Hatta airport, built in the early 1980s, was intended to handle up to 22 million passengers a year but served 44 million in 2010.

The expansion, which is expected to finish in 2014, will increase the airport's annual passenger handling capacity to 62 million. It will also boost the apron capacity to 174 aircraft from 125 and triple the cargo handling capacity to 1.5 million tons.

The Transportation Ministry has vowed to ensure that Soekarno- Hatta airport attains world-class status by 2015, when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Open Skies agreement is set to go into effect.

The number of Indonesia's airline passengers for international destinations in March grew by 13.94 percent to 1.0 million people in March on a monthly basis, the Statistic Bureau announced on May 1.

For domestic flight, the number of passengers increased by 10. 63 percent in March to 4.4 million compared to the previous month, it said.

Last year, the number of Indonesia's air passengers for international destinations rose by 12.3 percent year on year to 10. 8 million people, indicating growing demand on the Southeast Asia' s largest economy, the bureau said.

The Indonesian government is to give priority to developing the aviation industry as it is the most effective and efficient transport means in the vast archipelago country.

Indonesia comprises more than 17,500 islands and is homed by about 238 million people, with a growing middle class.

Sourced: Xinhuanet