Spokesperson For The Ministry Of PUPR: Airport Near IKN Designated As Commercial Airport

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) revealed that the airport located near the capital city of Nusantara (IKN) is intended as a commercial airport that can be used by the general public.

"If the airport is no longer called VVIP, (but) IKN airport like yesterday the president's office changed its name to the Garuda Palace. The airport is not intended as an exclusive airport, but it is the airport closest to IKN. So later IKN airport or whatever it is called. The airport is for the public because the airport is closest so that it is specifically for IKN airports. So later people who want to go to IKN can pass there," said PUPR Ministry Spokesperson Endra S Atmawidjaja quoted from ANTARA, Thursday, August 1.

Endra also said that the airport, which is located near IKN, may not be used to support the 79th Indonesian Independence Day at IKN, because the airport construction is hampered by weather.

However, with the help of weather modification technology, the airport construction can still run.

"It seems that it will still not be achieved, that's why the President of the Republic of Indonesia said yesterday not to be forced. Therefore, the procurement also needs a process, we are late there. We do the procurement and the capping layer is finished, just go to the asphalt," he said.

For information, the Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi revealed the construction of the Naratama Airport (Bandara) (very imported person) named Nusantara Airport in the Penajam Paser Utara Regency, East Kalimantan Province (Kaltim), was hampered by weather.

A number of these obstacles include the weather anomaly in East Kalimantan, which in recent months the region has often rained with high intensity.

Throughout July 2024, only eight days of airport construction can be carried out massively because of sunny weather, said Budi Karya Sumadi, for this reason, cooperation with the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has modified the weather to support the construction of the airport.

It is estimated that Nusantara Airport can be operated in the early stages at the end of August 2024, according to Budi Karya Sumadi, the airport construction will be carried out massively starting in August 2024.