SEMARANG - Angkasa Pura Airports presents the first multisensory room in airports in Indonesia and Asia Pacific. The facilities provided for children with special needs, especially autism, can be found at General Ahmad Yani International Airport in Semarang. The facility is a breakthrough and innovation from Angkasa Pura Airports to provide the best service to all airport service users, including passengers with special needs.
Similar facilities are available in at least six major airports in Europe and the US, such as Heathrow International Airport (UK), Shannon International Airport (Ireland), Pittshburg International Airport (Russia), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (US), Lehigh Valley International Airport (US), and Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (US).
The inauguration of the multisensory space facility was carried out by Angkasa Pura Airports President Director Faik Fahmi along with the Marketing and Services Director Devy Suradji, Ahmad Yani International Airport General Manager Hardi Ariyanto, Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) Chairman Tulus Abadi, and Disabled Children's Counselling Foundation (YPAC) Ratna Juwitadi at General Ahmad Yani International Airport on Monday (10/21).
The presence of this multisensory room is one of our commitments in providing a valuable experience to all service users, including passengers who have children with autism so they can feel calm, safe, and comfortable before traveling by airplane, especially in a busy environment like airport," Faik said.
The multisensory room is designed to provide soothing stimuli, overcome tension, and reduce temper tantrums for children with autism. The room has two functions by turning it into a white and a black room. White room is useful for creating a sense of security, relaxation, and giving a comfortable sensation to children with autism. While the black room is useful to facilitate the understanding of children with autism about the environment and understanding of causal relationships.
With an area of 3.6 x 10 meters, the multisensory room is located at domestic departure lounge of General Ahmad Yani International Airport. Various facilities such as mattresses installed on the floor and walls, gym balls, bean bags, aqua tube, LED lights that can change color, laser finger, vestibular boards, and others are provided.
"We hope this multisensory room can be used well and able to provide many benefits for service users, especially parents who travel with children with autism. In the future, we plan to bring this multisensory room in all airports that we manage,” Faik said.
Inaugurates Building and Statue at General Ahmad Yani International Airport
On the same occasion, buildings at General Ahmad Yani International Airport were also inaugurated. The buildings include the Administration Building of Angkasa Pura Airports Branch Office, the Integrated Building and the Multipurpose Building to support the company's operational and business activities. In addition, the Statue of General Ahmad Yani was inaugurated as a form of respect for a national hero from Purworejo, Central Java. The 12-meter-bronze statue is located at the airport gate.
"The buildings at Semarang’s General Ahmad Yani International Airport, which is included in the Work Package 4 of the General Ahmad Yani Airport Development Project, is expected to be able to support the company’s operations and increase business revenue in the future," Faik added.
The Office Administration Building was constructed on an area of 3,218 square meters, twice as large as the old office building which is only 1,500 square meters. With modern design and supported by convenient facilities, the building has a parking area that can accommodate up to 136 motor vehicles.
Meanwhile, the Integrated Building width is of nearly 3,000 square meters and can be used by business partners, and users of Angkasa Pura Airports. A room to create an airport pass, training room, polyclinic service, archive room, large meeting room, and others can be found in this building. The building also has a parking area that can accommodate around 176 motor vehicles.
On the other side, the Multipurpose Building has a capacity of to accommodate up to 1,000 people with an area of 2,368 square meters. The building can be rented by the public for various purposes such as meeting, wedding, and others. The parking area of the building can accommodate around 400 two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles.
"We hope this various facilities here can add value of service to our business partners and service users of General Ahmad Yani International Airport in Semarang," Faik said.
