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STATE-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I has started work to expand the International Airport of I Gusti Ngurah Rai, Bali, to be completed ahead of the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to take place in Bali in October this year. Thousands of delegates from all over the world are to take part in the big meeting.
According to General Manager of the branch of PT Angkasa Pura I at the Ngurah Rai airport Yanus Suprayogi, Sunday. around 17,000 delegates including 34 heads of state from 189 countries will attend the meeting.
“The expansion project, which is estimated to cost around Rp2.2 trillion is expected to be fully completed before October, 2018. The fund is used for the expansion of a number of facilities such as the aprons in the western and eastern sides of the airport,” he said.
He also mentioned that the VIP I and VIP II terminals in the western side of the airport would be moved to the eastern side near the international cargo terminal. The headquarter of Base Operation of the Ngurah Rai military air base will also be relocated to be close to the new VIP terminals for security reason.
“Currently work is in the phase of building new apron in the eastern side of the airport now 1.76 percent completed. The eastern apron will be expanded to accommodate four more wide bodied aircraft and in the western side of the airport, the parking are would expanded to be able to accommodate six more units of wide bodied aircraft,” he added.
Yanus said additional parking lots are urgent as the airport could not yet meet the demand from around 70 domestic and international airlines serving flights to Bali. The capacity of the domestic and international terminals and the runway in one of busiest airport in the country is adequate at present.
“With limited land space, expansion of the airport would be through reclamation of the beach land in the western side of the airport covering around 48 hectares,” he said. [antaranews/photo special]
