Jakarta – The Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs will accelerate resolution of land acquisition and environmental impact assessment problems faced by the New Yogyakarta International Airport, or NYIA, it said in a statement on Thursday (12/10).

The new airport near Temon Beach in Kulon Progo, southwest of the city of Yogyakarta, is currently developed by state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura I. Its construction has been marred by endless problems that started even before its inception this year.

"The Amdal [environmental impact assessment] document issues have not been solved yet, we will discuss it soon with related parties," Ridwan Djamaludin, deputy for infrastructure coordination at the ministry, said in the statement.

Since NYIA location is prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis, the government has prepared a series of mitigation measures, including the use of sand dunes, cultivation of she-oaks and mangroves on the coast, as well as training local residents in disaster response.

"For the land acquisition, we're still in the process to complete it... We will help Angkasa Pura in solving the issues," Ridwan said.

State-owned Antara news agency reported that 96.9 percent of 569,09 hectares needed has already been acquired, with the rest to be finalized by Oct. 31.

The new airport is expected to begin operations in 2019, replacing the old and overcrowded Adisutjipto International Airport.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/govt-solve-environmental-issues-new-yogyakarta-airport/