JAKARTA - PT AirAsia Indonesia Tbk (CMPP) hopes that the development of infrastructure supporting Kertajati International Airport can be completed soon to facilitate the airline's operations at the airport. As of August 1, 2019, the low-cost carrier will fly five new domestic routes, including Surabaya-Kertajati.
"We always say to the government that we hope the toll road connecting Bandung and Kertajati can be completed soon. Secondly, we also hope that not only a toll road, but an airport train [will also be developed] to make travelling more reliable," said Indonesia AirAsia CEO Dendy Kurniawan in a public expose at the GranDhika Iskandarsyah Hotel, South Jakarta on Monday (24/6).
As well as launching the Surabaya-Kertajati route, Indonesia AirAsia will also relocate its Bali flights from Husein Sastranegara International Airport to Kertajati. Currently, the trip from Bandung to Kertajati, which has a distance of about 80 km, is estimated to take approximately two and a half hours due to the Cisumdawu toll road still under construction.
"Distance is actually not a problem. For example, the distance between Kuala Lumpur and our base in KLIA2 (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) as well as KLIA1 is 72 km. It's quite far, but they have an airport train which can reach the airport in 28 minutes. It will be very helpful if there is a train that connects Kertajati to Bandung," said Mr Kurniawan.
In addition, Mr Kurniawan added, other stakeholders also need to consider infrastructure development within the airport itself such as hotels, restaurants, entertainment facilities, and public transport. Indonesia AirAsia stated that it is ready to support the Indonesian government in developing the airport and is willing to relocate all of its flights from Husein Sastranegara if needed.
"If we do need to relocate [from Husein Sastranegara to Kertajati], we'll be ready to do so. Hopefully we can work together to develop Kertajati," Mr Kurniawan concluded. (MS)