Minister Of Transportation Says He Has Prepared IKN Airport Long Before The Presidential Aircraft Lands

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi (Photo: Antara)

Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi stated that preparations for the landing of the Presidential plane at Nusantara Airport, the capital city of Nusantara (IKN), East Kalimantan, had been carried out long ago to ensure safety and smooth running.

The Minister of Transportation said that preparations for the landing of the Presidential plane had been carried out for several weeks before.

The RJ-85 Presidential Aircraft, which flew from Pontianak, West Kalimantan, managed to land for the first time smoothly at Nusantara Airport, the capital city of Nusantara (IKN), Tuesday, September 24.

The plane escorted the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, to make a working visit in several Kalimantan areas.

The Minister of Transportation said that the construction of the VVIP Terminal at the airport was almost complete.

"There is a (VVIP terminal) building that is so monumental, is an architecture of Kalimantan, but we are elaborating into something dynamic," said the Minister of Transportation.

Seeing the current conditions, the Minister of Transportation is optimistic that IKN Airport will be completed as a whole, with a runway of 3,000 meters, according to the time target of December 31, 2024.

Currently, IKN Nusantara Airport has a runway measuring 2,200 x 30 meters. A series of test flights and landings have been carried out at IKN Airport to see flight safety and security.

Airport verification was carried out on September 8-9, 2024, then the calibration was carried out on September 10, 2024 by the Center for Aviation Facilities Calibration, Ministry of Transportation.

In addition, three aircraft belonging to the Indonesian Air Force (AU) have also conducted trials at Nusantara Airport on September 14, 15, and 20, 2024 with three aircraft types, namely Casa 212/A-2104, CN 295/A-2905, and Hercules C130/A-1338. The test went smoothly and successfully.

Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo said the inaugural landing of the plane he was traveling on at Nusantara Airport, the capital city of Nusantara (IKN), East Kalimantan, went smoothly and smoothly.

"Alhamdulillah, this is the first landing, going well. Everything is going well and this is my first time getting off at Nusantara Airport. The landing was smooth, then it went very well. It was not too big but more than enough," said President Jokowi.

The President hopes that the benefits of Nusantara Airport in IKN can be felt by more people.