REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TERNATE -- A local airport in Ternate, Sultan Baabulah Airport, was temporarily closed after Mount Gamalama erupted last Thursday. The airport suffer loss. Due to the closure.
The Head of Baabulah Aiport, Taslim Badaruddin, said the airport usually served 800 people per day. "We have been shut for four days. We have lost 35.2 million IDR," Badaruddin said on Monday, December 22. The amount excluded loss suffered by airlines. Badaruddin could not ensure when the airport, located at the mountain's foot, to be reopened.
"We do not want to take risk by opening the airport, " he said.
The airport is still waiting for the information from Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMG) in Bandung. PVMG issued an alert status for the mountain. The airport will be opened if the alert status is decreased.