Soetta Airport’s New Runway 3 to Improve Aviation Service, Minister Says

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi has expressed appreciation to state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II and state-owned air navigation firm AirNav Indonesia for their efforts in improving capacity and service of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

The statements were made after the Minister inspected the newly inaugurated Runway 3 and East Cross Connection Taxiway at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, on Sunday (26/1).

According to the Minister, the two newly inaugurated facilities are vital for the improvement of aviation services for domestic and international flights.

“I am proud and appreciate Angkasa Pura II and AirNav’s works for developing airport and Air Traffic Control (ATC) which is on a par with any other international airports. There are more than 81 take-offs and landings per hour, making it one of ten most busiest airports in the world,” Budi said when monitoring air traffic in Runway 3 and East Connection Taxiway from AirNav’s Jakarta Air Traffic Services Center Tower, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

The Minister went on to say that related institutions such as Directorate General of Civil Aviation of the Ministry of Transportation, Angkasa Pura II, and AirNav stress on safety and efficiency aspects, as well as efforts to increase flight capacity in developing the facilities.

The two new facilities are expected to provide convenience to the passengers as delay and aircraft queue in the taxiway holding-point will be reduced significantly from 6 to 9 aircrafts to only 3.

In particular, Runway 3 is also expected to improve safety aspect since it separates take-offs and landings from Runway 2, while East Cross Connection Taxiway will reduce possible taxiway blocking.

It will also reduce distance from apron to runway so that average taxi-out time decreases by 8 minutes or 13.3 percent compared to when the facilities were not operated. Consequently, capacity of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport will also increase.

For the record, Runway 3 which – was inaugurated by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Friday (24/1) – has been operating since December 2019 to accommodate Christmas and New Year holidays. (Biro KIP/EN)

Translated by : Rany Anjany
Reviewed by : M. Ersan Pamungkas