Rejuvenated Kalimantan airports ready to welcome tourists
It has been a year since I last visited Supadio International Airport in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. The airport has undergone some renovation projects, including in the bathrooms of its arrival hall.
I must say that the bathrooms are now pleasantly clean and well-maintained. Later I learned that the airport was constructing a bigger and more luxurious terminal set to operate in early 2014.
According to Akbar Putra Mardhika, chief of the Project Implementation unit of PT Angkasa Pura II at Supadio, the new terminal will accommodate up to 3.8 million passengers. The new 32,000 square-meter terminal will be an upgrade from the current 6,940 square-meter terminal. The new terminal will also include a five-time larger commercial area from the current 5,164 square meters.
The expansion project will cover the construction of new terminals, a runway, taxiway, apron, cargo area, new tower and other supporting facilities. All projects are scheduled to finish in 2016 and will cost Rp 1.6 trillion (US$ 1.5 million).
Airport spokesman Endro Suryanto said that around 5,000 to 8,000 passengers departed and arrived at the airport everyday. The eight airlines that fly into the airport are Sriwijaya Air, Garuda Indonesia, Trigana Air, Lion Air, Mas Wing, Kalstar, Sky Aviation, and Xpress Air.
Supadio connects cities in West Kalimantan such as Putussibau, Sintang, and Ketapang with outer island destinations such as Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Batam, Natuna. The airport also serves one international route to Kuching International Airport in Malaysia.
On eastern part of the island, the new terminal at Sepinggan International Airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, is also impressive. The new terminal is now at the finishing stage and will soon begin operations.
The design is clean and very modern in contrast to the old terminal.
The construction of the new terminal began in July 2011, according to the airport’s official website. The new terminal is set to serve up to 10 million passengers per year with a vast parking lot that can hold 2,752 vehicles.
On my way to Derawan Islands in East Kalimantan, I was surprised to land at the modern and sophisticated Kalimarau Airport in Berau regency, a very small town that one might say is "out of grid". The shiny, clean airport exceeded my expectations and was even better than many bigger airports in Java. The construction of the airport was estimated at Rp 450 billion.
Johanes Rukka, a Garuda Indonesia employee, told me that the airport has opened in December 2012. He added that between 500 and 600 passengers fly in and out of the airport everyday.
Kalimarau Airport can accommodate Boeing 737 aircraft with its 2,250-meter-long and 30-meter- wide runway. Several airlines fly into the airport, including Garuda Indonesia, which offers two daily flights to and from Balikpapan to Kalimarau, and Kalstar airline, which connects Berau with Nunukan, Tarakan, Samarinda, and Malinau.
The East Kalimantan administration in April disclosed that the construction of new airport in Maratua would boost tourism in Derawan. The provincial administration has allocated Rp 18 billion for the project, media reported.
All these improvements will surely excite travelers who want to visit the beautiful spots on the island.
