The Director General of Air Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) Agus Santoso said that in the past papua and West Papua were the weakest chain of Indonesian aviation.
It is because they have the far distance and challenging terrain at the same time. It’s location is really far from the office center.
These things make the supervision did not run optimally coupled with violations from operators who wanted shortcuts in loading goods and aircraft operations.
However, now it won’t exist anymore. They are now doing a massive development in the West Papua region, including in terms of aviation.
That was said by the minister through a written statement in Jakarta. Agus explained, his party is improving technology, human resources, operational technical and others.
That is why; these regions become equal and parallel to other provinces in Indonesia. This is through the Trans Air Papua program which this weekend has just been launched.
Two Airports in the West Papua and Their Challenge
Some parties are now highlighted two airports which are located in that province. Each of them has the different needs, updates, and challenges for sure. The government always try to fix everything and make them are more than ready. Here are the details of those airports.
- The Rendani Airport
The runway of Rendani located in Manokwari is 2000 x 45 meters in size. There is nothing wrong with that, but it will not let the large plane to land there. Sudewo from the House of Representative (commission V) asked the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing & the Ministry of Transportation to do something.
They need to allocate funds for the extension of that runway. That is why; it may has a length of at least 2500 m.There is still a lot to consider for the central government. It has to do with flight safety. Not only for capacity of tge building.
The reasonable is That everything is related to the safety of one’s life aviation safety, then the extension of the runway must be implemented
- Siboru Airport
In addition to Rendani West Papua, Sudewo also highlighted the construction of Siboru Airport in Fak-fak Regency. He warned that the construction of the new one is integrated.
That is, when building the facilities, it is also necessary to build a road that becomes an access to the airport. The Siboru should operate the road.
Furthermore, that has also been completed and also applied properly. So that the utilization of Fakfak airport can be more maximum and better than before.
It must be Integrated to the Other Areas
What Sidewinder said is also agreed by the Member of Commission V of the House of Representatives Hamid Noor Yasin. There is another essential aspect to understand.
Hamid requested that building an airport in the West Papua or other should also be integrated with the development of other integrated areas. That is including the pre-road facilities.
The existing land is less, so it becomes a problem when there is a plane that will land (at Rendani) and so on. That seems simple, but actually it is so crucial. So their hope is that whatever they do, the development should be well integrated, well planned, not partial. That can bring a positive impact.
Fakfak Regency also has an existing building which is known as the Torea. However, the runway there is just 1,400 meters long. That is why; the large-bodied aircraft is unable to land there.
The member of the House of representative in that country requested the construction of a new airport in Fakfak. It should have at least the standards facilities and services. In the other words, that must be done with a careful planning.
The Characteristics of a Good Airport
West Papua or wherever in this world must pay attention to the proper characteristics of a good building for the aviation need. What are those aspects?
Generally, it should have a runway where the size is depended on the capacity. After that, the other facilities must be equipped such as the apron and the ATC tower.
From a trusted source, there are some crucial facilities that must be owned. Those are like the flight information display system, handy talky, public address system, etc.
To be a step further, the West Papua airport must be completed with the other services. Usually, they are built to make the tourists feel more comfortable.
The example is like a playground. It maybe looks not so essential, but it could really help for the parents where they can do their needs while the kids are playing.
The other ones are like the wine bar or food court where the passengers can spent their time comfortably while waiting for their flight. It will bring a good impact.
However, everything must be based on the good plan. A good cooperation from some parties can make West Papua has a wonderful airport to support the life aspects there.
