IKN Airport Is Confirmed To Be Able To Serve Public Flights

Minister of Finance Budi Karya Sumadi (Photo: Antara)

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi ensured that airports in the capital city of Nusantara (IKN) in East Kalimantan could serve public flights. Where, initially the airport was for important guests or very-very import persons (VVIP).

"I have received the task of Mr. President Jokowi to think about how this airport is useful for many people, not commercial. But it is used by many people," said Minister of Transportation Budi quoting Antara.

He admitted that he had held discussions with the Ministry of PUPR according to President Joko Widodo's instructions to change the allocation of services to VVIP airports at IKN.

"I was also assigned with Mr. Basuki (Minister of PUPR) to flood Balikpapan airport and IKN into an entity. Because the airport has an area of 3,000 square meters, so a large plane can land here," he said.

He said the purpose of changing the status of IKN Airport was to maximize the function of airports in the East Kalimantan region, so that they not only served important guests, but the wider community could also use them.

"Later Balikpapan can serve Umrah and Hajj passengers here. So this is not an exclusive guest to IKN, but it can be the general public. Now we are preparing it," he explained.

Budi added that the Ministry of Transportation will again conduct a test like the airport function at IKN on Friday (20/9).

"Tomorrow, a formal trial will be carried out. So far, the Ministry of Transportation has conducted trials using several planes on the runway of the capital city of Nusantara," he said.

In the airport function testing stage at IKN, his party will try to land a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft such as the presidential aircraft type.

"Trials using aircraft are the same size as the aircraft used by the President," he said.

He emphasized that if the IKN airport feasibility trial stage can be successfully accommodated by large types of aircraft such as Boeing aircraft, then the next day or the day after tomorrow the airport can officially be opened and used.

"We are very careful to build the airport, and God willing, it will become a very strategic place because it is not far from the IKN area," he said.