President Jokowi officially opened Singkawang Airport in Singkawang, West Kalimantan, on Wednesday (20/3/24,) according to local newswires including Antara News and Tempo.
“We hope new economic growth spots will appear in Singkawang. I also told the transport minister that this airport should be a model to be emulated in other regions,” Jokowi said, adding that apart from the state budget, the airport development is also funded through public-private partnerships (KBPU) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) schemes from local entrepreneurs.
The president said that KBPU and CSR schemes can bolster national development if they are emulated in other projects, such as airports and sea ports, says Tempo.
“It means that residents of the city, of the district, and of the province all contributed to the development of their region,” Jokowi said.
Citing a report from Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, he highlighted that local entrepreneurs contributed IDR 155 billion to the airport’s development. Meanwhile, the development cost of another IDR 272 billion was disbursed from the state budget, reports Tempo.
Jokowi also urged Sumadi to prepare airlines that will serve routes from and to Singkawang City, located in the western part of West Kalimantan.
“When the airport is ready, the transport minister should prepare the airlines serving flights from and to here as many as possible, provided that the flights are assured to be full. I believe more airlines will open new routes to Singkawang,” the president said.
According to Tempo, Singkawang Airport was developed from 2019 to 2023 and is ready to serve flights in April 2024. The airport has a taxiway measuring 200 metres x 18 metres, an apron spanning 100 metres x 50 metres, a passenger terminal of 8,000 square meters, and a 312-square-meter cargo terminal.
The airport runway, initially having a length of 1,400 metres x 30 metres, was upgraded to two thousand meters, allowing the airport to serve narrow-bodied planes, such as Airbus A320. The development of the runway and passenger terminal was funded through the CSR scheme.
Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, State-owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir, and Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi accompanied the president during the airport opening ceremony.
Source: Tempo, The President of The Republic of Indonesia website
Stock image by BPMI Setpres/ Muchlis Jr
