Ahmad Yani Airport Boosts Competitiveness of Central Java
The inauguration of the new terminal at Ahmad Yani International Airport in Semarang city is expected to boost economic growth and tourism in Central Java.
By
·3 minutes read
SEMARANG, KOMPAS — The inauguration of the new terminal at Ahmad Yani International Airport in Semarang city is expected to boost economic growth and tourism in Central Java. Various eco-friendly modern facilities have been built to complement the airport.
"I want the airport runway to be extended again at the end of next year so wide-bodied aircraft can land here," said President Joko Widodo during the inauguration of the new terminal and the Airnav Indonesia Watch Tower at Ahmad Yani International Airport, Semarang, Thursday (7/6/2018 ). The space for the new three-story terminal reaches 58,652 square meters or 9 times wider than the old terminal of 6,708 square meters.
The new terminal is equipped with an apron capable of accommodating 12 airplanes with a runway of 2,560 meters in length and 45 meters in width. The terminal is also equipped with modern facilities, such as 30 passenger check-in desks, 8 escalators, and 3 garbarata (aviobridges) with a terminal capacity of accommodating 6.9 million passengers per year. This number is much higher than the old terminal with a capacity of only 800,000 passengers per year, even though in reality it was packed with 4.5 million passengers per year.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the construction of the new terminal was initially scheduled for completion in December 2018, but the plan could be completed six months sooner in June 2018. He hoped the operation of the new terminal could help further promote Central Java tourism.
After the inauguration, the President\'s entourage toured the airport’s complex. Besides Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, also present at the ceremony were, among others, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno; a member of the Presidential Advisory Council, Agum Gumelar; Presidential Spokesman Johan Budi SP; Acting Central Java Governor Heru Sudjatmoko; and President Director of PT Angkasa Pura I Faik Fahmi.
Floating concept
Ahmad Yani Airport development is the work of the nation\'s children with the concept of a floating airport on the swamps with eco-friendly (eco airport) touches. The airport was designed PT Portal Grha Matra Design Indonesia (GMDI). Director of PT Portal GMDI Benyamin Aris Nugroho explained that the philosophy of the development was that of an eco-green airport. This is relevant because the ecosystem is full of ponds, swamps and is near the coast.
"Its concept is that 80 percent of the airport buildings are floating on the water as the original ecosystem," said Benjamin. The majority of the airport areas are watery, a mixture of fresh water from the rivers and seawater on the coast. Therefore, landfill was avoided. Besides being too expensive, the landfill activities also take a long time.
Benyamin said because it is on the water, the airport must be supported by piles constructed with prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) method. For the sake of density on the soft land, the piles were planted through the ground as deep as 40-50 meters.
Meanwhile, Kertajati International Airport in Majalengka regency, West Java, Friday (8/6) started to serve commercial flights ahead of Lebaran with Citilink. The Surabaya-Kertajati flight route was scheduled for 5:30-6:30 a.m. and Kertajati-Surabaya at 6:30-7:30 a.m. Citilink used an Airbus A320 with a capacity of 180 passengers.
The Transportation Ministry’s air transportation director general, Agus Santoso, said in the last three years, 15 new airports had begun construction, seven of which had commenced full operations. The seven new airports are Anambas Airport, Namniwel, Miangas, Morowali, Werur, Maratua and Koroway Batu.