Ahead Of The G20 Summit, President Jokowi Officialized The VVIP Terminal Of Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport

Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport VVIP Terminal, Bali. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Transportation)

JAKARTA - Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport VVIP Terminal, Bali, Wednesday, November 9.

Terminal VVIP Bandara Ngurah Rai memiliki wajah baru yang siap menyambut para kepala negara tamu Konferensi Tinggi (KTT) G20.

The recently inaugurated I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport VVIP Terminal is designed to be modern but there is still a traditional touch of Balinese.

The airport interior building and design are inspired by a building from Bali called Wantilan. That is, a building that functions as a meeting place for Balinese indigenous peoples.

"By saying Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, this afternoon I inaugurated the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport VVIP Building," said Jokowi, quoted from an official statement, Wednesday, November 9.

Not only inaugurating the VVIP Building at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, on this occasion Jokowi also inaugurated three ports on the Island of the Gods.

"Then the Sanur Port, Sampalan Ferry Port, and Munjul Nusa Ceningan Bias Ferry Port in Bali Province," he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi said the revitalization of the Ngurah Rai Airport VVIP Terminal was carried out in order to support the implementation of the G20, where Indonesia is the host and holds the presidency this year.

"We want to give a good impression, because this VVIP terminal is a temporary shelter and meeting from important state guests," said the Minister of Transportation.

Budi said the terminal revitalization that was built for approximately 3.5 months was the result of collaboration between the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of PUPR, the Ministry of SOEs, the Ministry of Finance, the architect from Bali, and other related parties.

The scope of revitalization work of the VVIP terminal at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport includes beautification of the VVIP (exciting) terminal; construction of the (new) VVIP terminal; arrangement of the (new) landscape and service road; and reallocation of cargo EMPU and other buildings.

The Ministry of Transportation has also completed the construction of three ports in Bali Province which will further improve the quality of transportation services and improve connectivity between islands.

Before it was built, this port was still a traditional port and did not yet have supporting facilities such as a dock, so tourists who wanted to board the ship had to enter the water on the beach.

Once built, these three ports have new faces, are more comfortable, have dock facilities and other facilities, and meet safety aspects.

The construction of the Sanur Port has started since December 2020 and is completed this year. The design of the terminal building was made by the architect from Bali (Popo Danes), which has a strong local wisdom feel. The terminal building in the design resembles a mecadik boat or traditional ship so that it becomes an attraction for tourists.

The construction of Sanur Port, and Sampalan Port and Munjul Bias Port, will complement transportation connectivity in the golden triangle area (Sanur, Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan).

"The presence of this port is expected to further increase comfort for people who travel, vacation, or local people who want to worship. And can support the tourism sector in Bali, and will increase the economic activity of the people in Bali and its surroundings," he said.