TNI Values IKN Airport Can Be Used As A Boeing 737 Flying Test Location

JAKARTA - Commander of the Air Operations Command II (Pangkoopsud II), Marsda TNI Budhi Achmadi assessed that the VVIP airport of the capital city of Nusantara (IKN), Balikpapan, East Kalimantan (Kaltim) deserves to be the location for the test flight of the Boeing 737 aircraft.

"Based on the results of field inspections, it is concluded that the basis is suitable for the test flight of the Boeing -737 aircraft on the afternoon of October 10, 2024," Budhi said as quoted by the official TNI AU press release, Tuesday, October 8, which was confiscated by Antara.

Budhi said that VVIP IKN airport was considered feasible based on the results of a review by his party and the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono which was conducted last Sunday, October 6.

Budhi explained, based on the results of field inspections, the VVIP IKN airport has met the standard facilities and eligibility as an airport that can accommodate large aircraft.

Some of the facilities deemed feasible, ranging from runways to facilities for passengers at airports.

With this inspection, Budhi hopes that the test flight of the B-737 aircraft at IKN airport on October 10 can run smoothly safely.

Previously, the Ministry of Transportation through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation carried out the IKN Airport calibration process before it was ready to operate.

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi said the calibration mission flight was carried out on Tuesday, September 10, as a follow-up to the verification of Nusantara Airport which was carried out on September 8-9, 2024.

Then, the airport function testing stage at IKN was continued by trying to land a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft such as the presidential aircraft.

In addition to calibration, flight validation procedures are also carried out with the PERfomance Base Navigation (PBN). Furthermore, the Ministry of Transportation will carry out a number of other assessments before issuing recommendations for airport managers to follow up.

The construction process of Nusantara Airport itself continues with significant developments. The current runway has reached 2,200 x 30 meters. Meanwhile, the construction of the VVIP terminal has reached more than 90 percent, while the VIP terminal has been completed by almost 80 percent.

Support facilities in the form of ATC towers, administrative and operational buildings and PKP-PK buildings also continue to be accelerated. As for the main access road, the airport is almost 100 percent ready, which will later support access to and from the airport.

Overall, seeing the progress of the work, the Minister of Transportation is optimistic that Nusantara Airport will be completed on December 31, 2024.