Kertajati Airport Ready To Serve Hajj, Umrah And International Flight Routes: First Batch Starts On November

Kertajati Airport. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Transportation through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation continues to take steps and efforts to prepare Kertajati Airport so that it can serve Hajj and Umrah transportation in November 2022, and prepare to become an international airport.

"Flight transportation to serve Hajj, Umrah, and the opening of international routes is provided through coordination and hearings between relevant ministries/agencies, local governments, Kertajati Airport organizers, airlines, and travel agents in the context of opening the Umrah flight route from Kertajati (KJT) to Jeddah ( JED)," said Acting Director General of Civil Aviation, Nur Isnin Istiartono, in his written statement, quoted Thursday, September 22.

Nur Isnin added that the first step is to open a flight route for Umrah which will be opened next November. Custom, Immigration, Quarantine (CIQ) facilities are currently on standby on call for duty.

Not only CIQ facilities are on standby on call, but other supporting facilities such as lodging or hotels near the airport, hospitals, Hajj hostels, and facilities that support the smooth operation of flights at Kertajati Airport are also very important. For this reason, good collaboration and cooperation with relevant ministries/agencies, and support from local governments and aviation stakeholders are very much needed.

Of course, this effort must be supported by other important supporting facilities such as arterial roads and access to the Cileunyi-Sumedang-Dawuan (Cisumdawu) toll road that connects the airport with the surrounding area. This toll road access is planned to be completed in October.

In the next step, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation sent a letter to the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia on September 7, 2022.

"We ask for GACA's support to provide the slot requested by our airline in order to serve flights carrying prospective pilgrims through Kertajati Airport starting November 2022," said Isnin.

With the issuance of the Circular Letter of the COVID-19 Task Force Number 25 of 2022, Instruction of the Minister of Home Affairs Number 42 of 2022, and Circular of the Minister of Transportation Number 88 of 2022, making Kertajati Airport an entry point for international travel, the opportunity to restore flight traffic which had been sluggish due to the pandemic. COVID-19.

"The potential for Umrah pilgrims from the area around Kertajati such as from Greater Bandung, Ciayumajakuning, West Java, and Central Java, based on data from the Directorate General of Hajj and Umrah Organization of the Ministry of Religion in 1444H/2022, there were 8,657 Umrah pilgrims who had not yet departed. likes to travel abroad. So with the existence of this Kertajati Airport, it is hoped that people will find it easier and more efficient to move around," explained Isnin.