Good News: After Citilink, Lion Air Will Also Open Flight Routes At Purbalingga Airport

JAKARTA - PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero) President Director Muhammad Awaluddin said Lion Air Group through Wings Air will open new flights at Great General Sudirman Airport, with the route Jakarta - Purbalingga - Semarang and vice versa.

"The meeting has been held, and in the near future at the end of June 2021, it is planned that Lion Air Group through Wings Air will open a new route. We are grateful for the close collaboration of all stakeholders so that the utilization and productivity of Great General Sudirman Airport continue to increase, while airport development is still continuing. continues," Muhammad Awaluddin said in a press release in Jakarta, quoted on Monday, June 14.

Great General Sudirman Airport in Purbalingga Regency, he continued, is a good example of the spirit of cross-agency collaboration in presenting a new airport to strengthen air connectivity and support economic growth for the local community.

He said all stakeholders synergize with each other for the same goal, namely to support the economy and mobility of the people of Central Java, especially in the western and southern parts.

According to him, the operation of the Great General Sudirman Airport cannot be separated from the role of the Indonesian Air Force which contributes land in the Great General Soedirman Air Base area, then the Central Java Provincial Government which supports land acquisition for the runway, then the Purbalingga Regency Government which supports the construction of road access, land acquisition, drainage rehabilitation & terminal.

In addition, AirNav Indonesia is building a navigation tower, Pertamina is ready to provide fuel for aircraft, and AP II is building runways, taxiways, aprons, and airport operations.

"This collaboration is able to accelerate the productivity of Great General Sudirman Airport," he said.

As a newly built airport and in the development stage, he said, this airport is already productive by paying attention to security, safety, service, through compliance with various regulations (security, safety, service through compliance or 3S+1C).

Not only that, but the stakeholders are now also collaborating to increase the utilization and productivity of the airport.

"AP II as the manager of Great General Sudirman Airport would like to thank all stakeholders who have fully supported airport operations for commercial flights," said Awaluddin.

While accompanying President Joko Widodo to inspect Great General Sudirman Airport on Friday, June 11, 2021, he said the routes that had been opened were Jakarta - Purbalingga - Surabaya, and Surabaya - Purbalingga - Jakarta by Citilink with 4 flight movements on Thursday and Saturday.

"The airline that flies is Citilink with flights from Jakarta - Purbalingga then Purbalingga - Surabaya and back on the same day, so there are 4 take-offs and landings (on 1 day)," he said.

According to him, public enthusiasm is quite high, with the load factor for the route to and from Jakarta when it was just opened, reaching 70 percent and has now increased to 80 percent. Meanwhile, the route to and from Surabaya, from around 25 percent when it was just opened, has now increased to around 40 percent.

He hopes that with the addition of routes from and to Great General Soedirman Airport, it can support community activities, including supporting MSMEs in Purbalingga and the surrounding area.

Meanwhile, Purbalingga Regent Dyah Hayuning Pratiwi said all parties must collaborate and work together to further advance Great General Sudirman Airport.

"The process of building this airport has a long history, it was initiated 15 years ago and finally the big dream of the people of Purbalingga to own this airport on June 1 came true. Of course, this airport was made for the whole community, and we still have homework to work together to make this airport growing and having more flights,” said Dyah Hayuning Pratiwi.

Dyah said that tourism is a potential sector for almost all regencies/cities in the west-south part of Central Java.

"Hopefully the existence of this airport as a support in the future can have a significant impact, a good impact for the welfare of the community, especially in the southwest part of Central Java," she said.