inp.polri.go.id – Purbalingga. Central Java Police Chief, Pol. General Inspector Ahmad Luthfi, and the Diponegoro Regional Commander IV Major General Rudianto together with the Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, welcomed the arrival of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at Jenderal Besar Sudirman airport, Purbalingga, Friday (11/6/21). President Jokowi and his entourage arrived at the airport using a special ATR 72-600 aircraft from the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base.
During his working visit, President Jokowi visited General Besar (JB) Sudirman Airport in Purbalingga Regency, Central Java, which only started operating on June 1, 2021.
It is known that the Jenderal Besar Sudirman airport was built for 2 years, namely in 2019-2021 which is managed by PT. Angkasa Pura II (company). The airport was built on an area of 115 hectares by PT. Hutama Karya (company). Phase I construction consists of a 1,600 meter long and 30 meter wide runway, a taxiway, commercial and military aprons, as well as a temporary passenger terminal with a capacity of 98,812 passengers per year. The aircraft that can be served are ATR 72-600 or similar with a capacity of 78 passengers.
The 2,200 meter development plan is planned to start work in the first quarter of 2022 with an operational target of the first quarter of 2023 and a terminal area target of 13,000 square meters so that it can accommodate around 200 thousand passengers per year.
“This morning I visited Purbalingga Regency, to see the progress of the development of the Jenderal Besar Sudirman Airport,” explained President Jokowi.
President Jokowi also said that the runway has been completed with a length of 1,600 meters and a width of 30 meters, although the terminal has not been completed.
President Jokowi also hopes that JB Sudirman Airport can contribute to economic growth not only in Purbalingga Regency but also in Banyumas, Cilacap, Banjarnegara, Wonosobo, Kebumen and surrounding areas.
“We hope that the mobility of people, the mobility of goods, and the mobility of logistics will be better, so that they could contribute to economic growth in the southern part of Central Java,” he said.
Regarding the use of this emergency terminal, President Jokowi is not too concerned about it. According to him, although the terminal is still an emergency terminal, it is not finished yet, but the airport is already in use. The President said again, this is more productive like that than having to wait for the terminal to be finished before making the flight.
“With fast methods like this, we will continue to do it for other airports, which are still in the process of being built,” he concluded.
(wm/bq/hy)
