ER
PRESIDENT of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expects Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) to be able to contribute in increasing tourist visits to Yogyakarta, Borobudur, and surrounding areas.
Standing on a land area of 219,000 square meters, YIA is expected to accommodate up to 20 million passengers per year. While the Adi Sucipto International Airport, which has been used, only has an area of 17,136 square meters and accommodates 1.7 million passengers per year.
“So the calculations here are now 8.4 million passengers per year. The capacity (YIA) is 20 million. There is a very large allowance, approximately 11 million capacity clearances. So that must be directed, so that flights only, slots are given to airlines that bring as many tourists to Yogyakarta and surrounding areas,” said President Joko Widodo while directly observing YIA Development, recently in Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta.
In addition to being able to accommodate the large number of passengers, YIA is also considered by the President to have the potential to increase the number of direct flights and seat capacity to Yogyakarta.
“I see an increase in the flow of tourists here because there are more and more flight slots and the airport is very large. So, there are options for long-distance flights to go down directly in Yogyakarta,” explained the President.
While the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy / Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency, Wishnutama Kusubandio stressed the need to increase the number of seat capacity in increasing the number of tourists and reach the foreign exchange target of 21 billion US dollars in 2020. “The number of searches about Indonesia has been very high, but does not end in a large number of visits because of inadequate or non-existent direct flight access,” Wishnutama said.
In 2019, the seat capacity to Indonesia from around the world will be 25 million seats. In reality the seat capacity is fulfilled (load factor) only 76%. That way, Indonesia’s Actual Seat Capacity is 19.1 million seats. Plus from the Actual Seat Capacity, 5.5 million are Indonesian citizens.
Therefore the number of Airline Seats for foreign tourists to Indonesia is only 13.6 million seats. For this reason, the potential of YIA in adding direct flight and seat capacity to Yogyakarta is highly expected.
It is targeted that YIA will be in full operation on March 29, 2020, later all flights at Adi Sucipto Airport will be diverted to YIA, except for those using propeller/propeller aircraft and private jets.
Project Manager for Yogyakarta International Airport, Taochid P.H. added that in March there were planned to be 112 flights operating at YIA. “At present slot airlines that have proposed 96 flights, plus 16 existing flights already in operation. So in March there will be 112 flights at YIA,” explained Taochid P.H.
Inaugurates Lintas Bawah YIA
To improve transportation services to and from Yogyakarta International Airport, President Joko Widodo also inaugurated the under-airport traffic.
Tunnel along 1.3 km, is the longest tunnel in Indonesia that connects Purwokerto and Yogyakarta, as well as smoothing the flow of Kulon Progo and surrounding residents. Because, the construction of YIA cut the previous Pansela road section.
The President said, the construction of the lower cross would later contribute especially to the increase in tourists to Yogyakarta, Borobudur, Prambanan, and surrounding areas.
“We will only have to finish interconnecting intermodal transportation services so that people have choices. There are options that can be chosen in the context of service to tourists and the public,” explained the President.
In addition to formalizing the cross section and reviewing YIA, in his working visit the President also briefly conducted an interview with the BBC at one of Yogyakarta’s tourist destination icons, Candi Prambanan.
On a working visit to Yogyakarta, he accompanied a number of ministers such as Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Wishnutama Kusubandio, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, and Yogyakarta Governor Hamengku Buwono X. [traveltext.id ]
