Indonesian Minister of Transportation, Budi Karya Sumadi, said the IKN Airport in Nusantara Capital City (IKN) will be utilized for local IKN purposes for the time being. However, he said, President Joko Widodo or Jokowi advises public utilization for IKN Airport in the future.
“After a consultation with the President, he instructed for this to be a public airport,” he said after a meeting with Commission V of the House of Representatives (DPR) on Friday, September 20, 2024.
IKN Airport, Budi explained, will collaborate with Sultan Aji Muhammad Sepinggan International Airport in nearby Balikpapan. In the future, the government plans to repurpose the Balikpapan Airport for domestic flights while IKN Airport will accommodate international flights.
“So, Umrah and Hajj pilgrimage may depart from IKN Airport in the future,” he said.
According to Budi, East Kalimantan’s development necessitates international connectivity, whether for business or religious purposes. Thus, IKN Airport, he said, will provide an adequate facility to accommodate these needs.
“It is previously known that the IKN Airport has a runway length of 3,000 meters. Meaning, the largest aircraft [Boeing B-777 Triple Seven] could land on it,” Budi said.
Regarding the plan to open the IKN Airport to the public, Budi said its terminal only facilitates 10 to 15 flights thus far, so a larger operation would not be possible for the time being.
“We must first expand the airport construction for a larger scale operation, and we are currently implementing some concepts, where Angkasa Pura Indonesia will partner with a foreign investor,” he said.
IKN Airport, the minister said, will become one of the support capacities for the new capital. “To make [IKN] better and become a reliable international city,” he said.
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Source: Tempo.Co