Thresa Sandra Desfika, Jakarta – The government has decided that all domestic flights to Bandung, West Java, have to land at Kertajati International Airport by July 1.
The $245-million airport was supposed to be an upgrade to the old Husein Sastranegara International Airport in Bandung and is projected to be the second largest airport in Indonesia after Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten, Tangerang.
But Kertajati has been left mostly barren since its inaugural opening in June last year, prompting many embarrassing images and headlines on local media that served as a snide to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's much-fabled infrastructure push.
One of the snags at Kertajati has been that the local government has failed to provide better access to the new airport, making the three-hour travel to and from Bandung highly undesirable for both passengers and airline workers.
Meanwhile, skyrocketing airfares and the completion of the Trans-Java Toll Road meant many simply opted out of taking flights to Bandung.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi recently called a meeting with domestic airlines, West Java deputy governor Uu Ruzhanul Ulum, airport operators Angkasa Pura II and Bandara International West Java, and air traffic controller AirNav Indonesia to try to find a solution to the problem.
In the end, they decided all domestic flights at Husein Sastranegara International Airport will be transferred to Kertajati International Airport by July 1.
"The central government is committed to all its stakeholders. [We want] the service at Kertajati to be smooth," Budi said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the minister, 56 take-offs and landings on 13 domestic routes will be moved to Kertajati. International flights to Bandung will still land at Husein Sastranegara.
Muhammad Awaluddin, the managing director of Angkasa Pura II, said the airport operator is ready for the move. It will balance the load at Kertajati with those at three closest airports: Husein Sastranegara, Soekarno-Hatta and Halim Perdanakusuma in Jakarta.
Deputy governor Uu welcomed the decision, saying it would "improve the economy" of local communities.
Kertajati can handle five million passengers annually. It is designed to expand to a capacity of 29.3 million passengers per year eventually.