Jakarta, 29/8/2020 (ANTARA) - Yogyakarta, a Javanese sultanate and special
autonomous province located in the central of Java Island, currently
has a new and modern Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) that is 13
times bigger than its old Adisucipto Airport.
While
inaugurating the new airport on Aug 28, 2020, President Joko Widodo
(Jokowi) claimed that the construction of YIA, which took just 20 months
and cost Rp11.3 trillion (some US$777.4 million), is the best
construction practice, so far, in Indonesia.
The new
airport has a 3,250-meter runway, longer than the old Adisucipto
Airport's runway measuring 2,200 meters. Wide-bodied aircraft, such as
Airbus A330 and Boeing 777, can land at the new airport. It has a 219
thousand square-meter terminal, compared to 17 thousand square meters at
the old airport's terminal. It has a capacity to accommodate 20 million
passengers yearly, as compared to 1.6 million yearly at the old
airport.
Jokowi is upbeat about the YAI being crowded once the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control.
"We know that we are still facing the COVID-19 pandemic. However, once
we have the vaccination, Insya Allah (God willing), I believe that the
airport can become the busiest. That is important," he affirmed.
Located in Kulon Progo District, Yogyakarta Province, the new airport
is some 60 kilometers away from the worlds most popular Buddhist temple,
Borobudur, designated by the Indonesian government as one of
Indonesia's five super-priority tourist destinations.
Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi is optimistic that the YAI
would attract domestic and foreign tourists, thereby helping aid
economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
