Ministry Of Transportation Prepares Kertajati Airport To Serve Umrah Flights In November 2022

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) together with stakeholders are preparing Kertajati Airport in Majalengka, West Java, to serve Umrah embarkation and debarkation flights in November 2022.

"Intensive coordination with the Ministry of Religion and the Regional Government continues to be carried out so that preparations can be carried out thoroughly," said Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi as quoted by Antara, Friday, August 19.

Budi Karya conveyed that with the implementation of zoning for Umrah flights from Kertajati Airport by the Ministry of Religion, the potential for Umrah pilgrims is projected to reach 40,000 people in the January-May 2023 period.

He hopes that Umrah planes departing from Kertajati Airport can make direct flights to Saudi Arabia.

This Umrah flight is also expected to be a feeder flight from other regions, such as Kalimantan-Kertajati-Jeddah, which is considered to make Kertajati more crowded.

Then, the accessibility of land transportation from and to the airport will also continue to be improved through the provision of road transportation.

Therefore, Budi Karya asked the local government for support to intensify tourism promotion to attract tourists.

Meanwhile, Kertajati Airport is currently increasingly active in serving cargo flights. The total volume of cargo served continues to increase.

The airlines serving cargo flights at Kertajati Airport are PT Rafles Global Angkasa (Asia Cargo) and PT Trigana Air Service.

Based on data, in December 2021 there was still a movement of 15 tons per day. As of July 2022, it has reached 40 tons to 60 tons per day.

Cargo service capacity will continue to be increased to 100 tons per day or 3,000 tons per month.

"This is an effort that should be appreciated, even though it is still in the midst of a pandemic now every day there are cargo flights in Kertajati whose volume is reported to be increasing," said Budi Karya.

The Ministry of Transportation supports the efforts made by aviation stakeholders, both operators of aviation facilities and infrastructure, local governments, and the private sector, in order to revive flight activities at Kertajati Airport, which had been affected by the pandemic.