E Java's Juanda Airport to Have More Runways

Surabaya, April 13 (Antara) - State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura 1 plans to build three more runways at Juanda international airport in East Java to accommodate the growing number of flights, company's General Manager Trikore Harjo stated on Sunday. "The construction of the new runways will be completed by 2017 and will be fully operational one year thereafter. Currently, we are still conducting a feasibility study. We expect the construction to start soon," Harjo noted. According to him, the newly enhanced airport will also be equipped with a hotel, office building and other public facilities. Meanwhile, Governor of East Java province Soekarwo asserted that the improvement of Juanda airport's capacity has been the right decision considering 31 percent of Indonesia's domestic trading activities takes place in East Java province. The new runways, Soekarwo pointed out, will improve efficiency in goods transportation to and from East Java. Improvement of Juanda airport's capacity was also important to accommodate the growing numbers of passengers coming and leaving the area every year. On an average, Juanda airport serves 17,6 million people per year. In 2018, the number of passengers is estimated to rise to 40 million people per year. (*) Reporting by Fiqih Translating and Editing by Amie Fenia Arimbi