Jakarta – Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has blamed the West Java administration for the lack of activity at Kertajadi International Airport in Majalengka, saying that the idea to construct the airport came from the local administration.
The airport, which was inaugurated by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo last year, only serves one route from the initially 11 planned routes. The occupancy rate on each flight is reportedly below 30 percent.
Budi said construction of the airport was demanded by the local administration. He said that he had advised state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II's (AP II) president director, M. Awaluddin, to develop an airport that would only accommodate ATR planes, with an initial investment of Rp 600 billion (US$42.39 million).
"The West Java administration asked us to construct the airport in Kertajati and we complied," Budi said in Palangkaraya, Central Java while accompanying Jokowi on a visit to the province.
However, he added that the West Java administration demanded the construction of a large airport with total investment of Rp 2.6 trillion. AP II agreed to the idea through an agreement with West Java's PT Bandara International West Java.
Awaluddin said construction of the airport aimed to reduce the burden on Husein Sastaranegara International Airport in Bandung.
When asked about the airport's lack of activity, Awaluddin said it was because the Cileunyi-Sumedang-Dawuan (Cisumdawu) toll road had yet to completed. The toll road will connect the airport with Bandung.
"This year we were only able to construct two out of six sections of the Cisumdawu toll road," Awaluddin said as quoted by kompas.com.
The airport, the construction of which kicked off in December 2015, was designed to become the second-largest airport in the country after Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. It will be expanded to accommodate 18 million passengers annually. (bbn)