Angkasa Pura

Peek at AP II Preparations Ahead of the Opening of the Prime General of the Great Jenderal Soedirman Purbalingga Airport

Jakarta - Jenderal Besar Soedirman Airport in Purbalingga, Central Java, is prepared to operate in early June 2021.

A number of administrative aspects have been prepared, including the issuance of the Decree of the Director General of Civil Aviation Number KP 98/2021 dated April 22, 2021, which officially stipulates that the management of Jenderal Besar Soedirman Airport is under PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero).

"The decree states that the airports managed by AP II total 20 airports, there is an additional 1 airport, namely Jenderal Besar Soedirman Airport. We thank you for the trust and decision of the Ministry of Transportation to establish AP II as the manager of 20 airports in Indonesia, "said President Director of AP II Muhammad Awaluddin.

The Ministry of Transportation has also issued Airport Certificate No: 0163 / SBU-DBU / IV / 2021 for Jenderal Besar Soedirman Airport. Other mandatory documents have also been drafted and approved.

"The mandatory documents are the Airport Security Program, Aerodrome Manual, Emergency Plan Document, Safety Management System Manual, Safety Risk Assessment, and Airside Operation SOP," said Muhammad Awaluddin.

In the context of operational preparations, Muhammad Awaluddin has also held meetings and coordination with the Commander of the Indonesian Air Force II Operations Command, Marsda TNI Minggit Tribowo.

Jenderal Besar Soedirman Airport itself is a flight support airport for surrounding areas, including Banjarnegara Regency, Purbalingga Regency, Banyumas Regency, Cilacap Regency, Kebumen Regency, Pemalang Regency and Wonosobo Regency.

"Commercial flights in these regencies and cities were first opened with the existence of Jenderal Besar Soedirman Airport. In other words, this airport is the pioneer of commercial flight connectivity in the region," said Muhammad Awaluddin.

Preparation for Operational aspects
As part of the preparation for the operational aspect, AP II has completed building an airside facility including a runway with dimensions of 1,600 x 30 meters to accommodate the flight of ATR 72-600 and similar propeller aircraft, an apron with an area of ​​69 x 103 meters and a taxiway with a width of 15 meters.

"After the construction was 100% complete, a proving flight was carried out by the Ministry of Transportation and Citilink, which went well and was successful," said Muhammad Awaluddin.

For the land side, the construction of a passenger terminal has been completed in the framework of minimum operation.

Airport personnel
Muhammad Awaluddin said AP II personnel were ready to support airport operations, including from the Aviation Security (Avsec) unit, Apron Movement Control (AMC) and Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) were ready, in addition to administrative and maintenance personnel who were also ready.

Other stakeholders who are confirmed to support airport operations include ground handling, Pertamina, the Ministry of Health's Port Health Office (KKP Kemenkes), BMKG, AirNav Indonesia, as well as Citilink airlines, to land transportation providers.

"Citilink positively welcomes and supports the plan for commercial flight operations at Jenderal Besar Soedirman Airport," said Citilink President Director Juliandra Nurtjahjo.

President Director of AirNav Indonesia M. Pramintohadi Sukarno stated the readiness of AirNav Indonesia.

"We have prepared procedures, human resources and safety assesment for this airport navigation service. Everything is good and ready to support the operation of Jenderal Besar Soedirman airport, which is planned to be operated in early June 2021."

On April 1, during the trial landing of the Citilink ATR 72-600 aircraft, a PBN (Performance Based Navigation) -based landing procedure was implemented.

AirNav Indonesia hopes that the operation of this airport can support aviation growth in Southern Java and have an impact on the economy of the community.

Air connectivity support
Muhammad Awaluddin said, "On the island of Java, flight traffic is mostly in the northern region. The location of Jenderal Besar Soedirman Airport which is further south can encourage traffic growth in the south.

AP II encourages flight routes in the southern region that transits in every city, from west to east of Java.

"For example, the route from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport [Jakarta] - Husein Sastranegara Airport [Bandung] - Jenderal Besar Soedirman Airport [Purbalingga] - Banyuwangi Airport. This route, which is like an 'air toll', is possible, especially since the entire airport is managed by AP II, "said Muhammad Awaluddin.

As for the reverse flight, it can go through the northern region, for example: Banyuwangi - Surabaya - Semarang - Bandung - Jakarta.