Happy News! Starting October 1, Minangkabau International Airport Starts Purchase The Padang-Kuala Lumpur Route

Two planes parked at the apron of Minangkabau Airport in Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra. ANTARA

PADANG - Minangkabau International Airport in West Sumatra is again serving international flights on the Padang-Kuala Lumpur route starting October 1, 2022 after the last two years closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Flights will be served by Asian airlines with a frequency of twice a week every Tuesday and Saturday," said Executive General Manager of PT Angkasa Pura II Minangkabau Siswanto International Airport in Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra, Antara, Sunday, September 25. Menurut dia, pihak Air Asia telah menyampaikan jadwal resmi penerbangan BIM-Kuala Lumpur pada Oktober 2022. Untuk penerbangan dari Kuala Lumpur, Air Asia terbang pukul 07.40-08.50 LT, sedangkan dari BIM ke Kuala Lumpur pukul 08.30-09.40 LT. With the reopening of this route, it is hoped that it will encourage economic passion and tourism in West Sumatra. "Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Padang-Kuala Lumpur route was the only international flight door to BIM," he said. At that time, the occupancy rate of aircraft seats reached at least 80 percent in each flight with flight frequency twice a day. He also expressed his gratitude to the West Sumatra Provincial Government and all parties who have been together have encouraged the reopening of international flight routes. Ahead of the reopening of the flight, Angkasa Pura II BIM together with relevant stakeholders have carried out simulations to prepare maximum services for airport service users. "In the simulation, all elements collaborate to ensure that all aspects are ready and meet the standards and conditions set," he said. Meanwhile, based on a search on one of the ticket provider sites on Sunday, the ticket price from Padang to Kuala Lumpur starts from Rp800 thousand one way. Previously, the Head of the West Sumatra Transportation Service, Heri Nofiardi, said that the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment had allowed BIM to serve international flights after the COVID-19 pandemic. Heri said the commitment to opening the flight was conveyed by the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs, while technically granting permission was granted by the Ministry of Transportation. According to him, this permit cannot be separated from the struggle of the Governor of West Sumatra Mahyeldi to meet the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Panjaitan in early June 2022. Previously, based on data compiled from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of West Sumatra, it was recorded that 61,131 foreign tourists visited West Sumatra in 2019 and most of them came from Malaysia reaching 46,730 people.