Sam Ratulangi Airport Still Closed, Residents Choose to Transit Again in Ternate

The large number of sea transportation to Manado has made residents choose to return via Ternate, due to the closure of Sam Ratulangi Airport.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

The ATR 72-600 aircraft operated by Wings Air airline was at Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado, North Sulawesi, before flying to Ternate and Labuha, North Maluku, on Thursday (23/11/2023).

TERNATE, KOMPAS – The closure of Sam Ratulangi Airport due to the eruption of Mount Ruang in the Siao Tagulandang Biaro Islands, North Sulawesi, made residents choose Ternate, North Maluku, as a transit area. Then, residents took the sea route to Manado. As a result, the level of passenger occupancy for airplanes and sea transportation to and from Ternate was observed to be quite dense.

The person in charge of Supervision, Cargo, and Passenger Affairs at Lion Air, Ramli Makawimbang, explained that the passenger occupancy rate heading to Sultan Baabulah Ternate Airport in North Maluku was quite high following the eruption of Mount Ruang that occurred on Wednesday (17/4/2024), and the second eruption on Tuesday (30/4/2024). The increase is likely due to Ternate being an area with many transportation options to Manado, North Sulawesi, including one with local inter-island ships.

Based on monitoring on several online ticket sales applications on Saturday (4/5/2024) at 17.00 East Indonesia Time (WIT), direct flight tickets were sold from Jakarta to Ternate, North Maluku, until Wednesday (8/5/2024) it was observed that it was sold out. The same thing happened with direct flights from Ambon, Maluku, to Ternate. On the Wings Air flight from Ambon to Ternate on Saturday afternoon, all the seats were full.

Nonetheless, direct flight tickets to Ternate are still available from several cities such as Makassar and Surabaya. Lion Air, on the other hand, operates direct flights from several cities including Jakarta, Makassar, Surabaya, and Ambon to Ternate.

"This past week, the city of Ternate has been observed to be crowded since the temporary closure of Sam Ratulangi Airport. The city has many scheduled sea transportation options to Manado, so it was chosen as an option. There are also some who are still waiting for the decision to reopen Sam Ratulangi Airport, which is always announced every afternoon," he said when contacted from Ternate, North Maluku, on Saturday (4/5/2024).

RAYNARD KRISTIAN BONANIO PARDEDE

Atmosphere of activity at Ternate Harbor, Ternate City, North Maluku, Friday (6/10/2023).

Almost every day there is a schedule of local inter-island ships departing from Ahmad Yani Port in Ternate to Manado Port in North Sulawesi. The prices vary, from the cheapest at Rp 350,000 per person to the most expensive at Rp 560,000 per person. The Ternate-Manado voyage takes 15-16 hours.

Also read: Eruption of Mount Ruang Triggers Earthquake on Mount Gamalama Ternate

The Central Ticket Sales Counter Officer of Ahmad Yani Port, Fachri Ismaili, explained that since the eruption of Mount Ruang, the occupancy rate of the Ternate-Manado ship has been monitored to be high, above 90 percent. Even since the first eruption until the end of April, the ship's departure schedule, which usually drops anchor at 13:00-14:00 WIT, was extended until 17:00 WIT. This was done to wait for airline passengers who typically arrive in Ternate at 12:00-13:00 WIT.

"Some of those who booked tickets admitted that they are returning to Manado via Ternate because there are many schedules available. The ship's schedule is also adjusted to the arrival schedule of the plane," he said.

The airport is still closed

As a result of the eruption, flights to Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado are still closed. In a separate occasion, the Head of the Airport Authority for Region VIII in Manado, Ambar Suryoko, explained that the Sam Ratulangi Airport area is within the distribution of volcanic ash from Mount Ruang, making it unsafe for aircraft to land. Based on Notice to Airmen (Notam) Number A1192/24 NOTAMR A1181/24, airport operations are still closed until Saturday at 6:00 PM Central Indonesian Time.

Even though Sam Ratulangi Airport is not yet operational, several airports in the North Sulawesi region that were previously closed have reopened.

ANTARA/ANDRI SAPUTRA

Residents await the arrival of KRI Kakap-811 to evacuate at Tagulandang Port, Sitaro Islands Regency, North Sulawesi, Thursday (2/5/2024).

Some of those who booked tickets admit that they are returning to Manado via Ternate because there are many shipping schedules available. The ship's schedule is also adjusted to the airplane's arrival schedule.

Based on the airport authority's check, the volcanic ash from Gunung Ruang is no longer present in the surrounding airports. The following airports have since been reopened: Naha Airport, Siau Airport, Bolaang Mongondow Airport in North Sulawesi, as well as Gorontalo Airport and Pohuwato Airport in Gorontalo.

"After carrying out apaper test for volcanic ash, the results were negative so the airport could return to operation," he said.

Also read: Thousands of Residents Around Mount Ruang Evacuated, Sam Ratulangi Airport Closed

Until Friday (5/3/2024), the government has evacuated 4,278 residents from Tagulandang Island, an area affected by the eruption of Mount Ruang. They were transported using the Indonesian Republic Ship Kakap 881, the Bimasena State Ship, the Customs State Ship, the Lohoraung Crossing Motor Ship, and several other ships. The government aims to evacuate 9,083 residents from Tagulandang Island. The state of emergency response to the disaster will be enforced until Tuesday (5/14/2024).