THE QUALITY of transportation infrastructure in Bali Province continues to be improved. In 2023, the Ministry of Transportation will expand the capacity of Ngurah Rai Airport to 35 million passengers per year.
According to the Minister of Transportation, Budi Karya Sumadi in his statement, Wednesday (01/18), 2023 said that airplane passengers at Ngurah Rai Airport both domestically and internationally in 2022 will be 12.5 million passengers, a significant increase of 231% compared to 2021 of 3, 7 million passengers.
“Seeing the trend of increasing passenger and aircraft movements, Ngurah Rai Airport will expand its capacity to 35 million passengers/year, or three times the current capacity,” said Budi.
In addition, due to Emirates airline’s plan to operate the Wide Body Airbus A380 aircraft in mid-2023, it is necessary to increase capacity such as extending the runway, developing terminals and aprons so that the services provided are better.
“Ngurah Rai Airport is still possible to be developed significantly,” Budi underlined.
Meanwhile, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation, Adita Irawati stated, the Ministry of Transportation continues to be committed to increasing connectivity in the Province of Bali, by connecting surrounding areas such as: Lombok and Banyuwangi, to support the tourism sector which is the main sector driving economic growth for people in Bali and its surroundings.
“With the construction and development of transportation infrastructure as a whole in the Province of Bali and its surroundings, it is hoped that it can stimulate tourist destinations spread across several areas in the Province of Bali as well as tourist destinations in surrounding areas such as Lombok, Banyuwangi, and so on,” Adita concluded.
With a more comprehensive regional development in all modes, the impact will be greater for the advancement of tourism, compared to building a new airport. [sources/photo special]