JAKARTA - Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) in Kulon Progo, which was built and managed by Angkasa Pura Airports, has significant roles in improving air connectivity and the economy of people living in Yogyakarta and the southern part of Java.
To optimize YIA operations, some plans are currently being discussed and will be executed by several parties. Some of the plans are transferring flights from Adisutjipto International Airport and accelerating the construction of railroad and toll road to YIA. Optimization is also carried out through the development of leading sectors such as tourism, culture and education which are the main attractions of Yogyakarta. Other means are needed with the full support of all stakeholders, both at local and national level, so that YIA can provide greater benefits for the community.
That was the conclusion of a public discussion "Optimizing the Existence of Yogyakarta International Airport" held in Yogyakarta on July 24, 2019. The discussion was attended by various stakeholder representatives both at the local and national level. Speakers in the discussions are SOE Ministry’s undersecretary for financial, survey, and consultant services Gatot Trihargo, Indonesian Toll Road Authority (BPJT) Head Danang Parikesit, Ministry of Transportation’s Directorate General of railways secretary Zulmafendi, Ministry of Tourism’s Division I Deputy of Marketing Rizki Handayani Mustafa, Angkasa Pura Airports Marketing and Services Director Devy Suradji, and public policy expert Agus Pambagio.
"As one of the optimization efforts, in October, 66 domestic flights from outside of Java will be transferred to YIA from Adisutjipto International Airport. Currently, there are a total of 188 flights at Adisutjipto International Airport and they will be gradually transferred to YIA,” Devy said.
At present, Devy added, YIA only serves 10 flights per day. However, bottleneck on transportation access still occur. That will be crucial when all flights are transferred from Adisutjipto International Airport. Therefore, YIA still needs additional support in terms of access both to and from Yogyakarta, such as the railroad connecting to the airport and toll roads.
Danang said Solo-Yogyakarta-YIA-Kulon Progo toll road construction plan was supported by the Governor of Yogyakarta Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X. The project worth Rp20.46 trillion (US$1.5 billion) will be auctioned this year and the land acquisition process as well as the construction can be started in early 2020. The toll road is expected to be operated in 2021 or 2022. Construction of the toll road will be executed in stages, with the Solo-Yogyakarta section being built first.
He added that the Governor of Yogyakarta welcomed the construction of the toll road, emphasizing it can boost local economy growth.
“To boost local economy, BPJT together with the Directorate General of Bina Marga [which oversees road constructions] conduct a study on the restriction of opening rest areas in toll road corridors and focused on toll exits so that small businesses could have the opportunity to open stalls at toll road rest areas. Only large business entities can usually rent buildings in rest areas in toll road corridors,” Danang said.
Meanwhile, Zulmafendi said that the ministry was preparing access to and from the area around YIA. Currently, the new airport train can be accessed by passengers through Wojo Station. Later on, the train can be accessed directly from the area around YIA.
“Currently, we’re acquiring land for the airport railroad. The plan is by the end of this year, the land acquisition process is complete and after that the development can be carried out immediately. It is hoped that the YIA airport train can start operating in 2021 at the latest,” Zulmafendi said.
Gatot said the government would make YIA as a new hub to replace Malaysia and Singapore, with expectation that the airport could attract potential passengers from Australia who wanted to return from Europe and wanted to stop by Yogyakarta without having to transit to Singapore.
"There are around 950,000 Australian passengers going to Yogyakarta via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. So, in the future, we want to try landing a Boeing 777 or Airbus 380 in Yogyakarta. Therefore, Yogyakarta must strengthen its tourism sector,” Gatot said.
In line with Gatot, Rizki said alternative tourism attractions in Yogyakarta must be developed in order to attract more foreign tourists visiting the province and its surrounding areas.
For information, as of July 24, 2019, YIA’s development progress has reached 73 percent. Although the construction is still ongoing, the airport has been operating since May 6, 2019. So far, YIA has served nearly 53,000 passengers. There are 10 flights every day with five routes served by Citilink, Batik Air and Lion Air.
Starting August 1, 2019, the Kulon Progo-Lombok and Lombok-Kulon Progo route will start operating served by AirAsia. Therefore, there will be six routes with 12 flights by four airlines operated at YIA.
