REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan has called for the Kertajati International Airport in Majalengka District, West Java, to become operational in 2018 and to also function as Hajj embarkation point.
Panjaitan remarked on Tuesday that he had witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II and West Java International Airport related to stock purchase and the operations of Kertajati Airport.
"The MoU has just been signed, and all parties have agreed that next year, prospective Hajj pilgrims can depart from that airport," Panjaitan said.
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In the meantime, Angkasa Pura II President Director Muhammad Awaluddin said he will complete "due diligence," so that by next October, there will already be a cooperation framework agreement in place between shareholders for the utilization and operations of the airport.
As soon as the process of stock purchase is completed, the red plate company will begin preparations to become operational in line with the set target, so that the airport can be used during the 2018 Hajj season.
In the initial phase, Kertajati Airport has been designed to accommodate five million passengers annually and will have one runway measuring three thousand meters in length and 60 meters in width. It will eventually have two runways and be able to serve 18 million passengers per year.