JAKARTA: The Indonesian government is rushing to finish a new airport for the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) ahead of the city’s inauguration, but experts warn the breakneck pace could compromise safety and quality.

Nusantara Airport, initially designated to serve only important guests of the state, is slated for completion by Aug 1 with a trial run in July, according to Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, just in time for an inauguration that will coincide with Independence Day on Aug 17.

However, the operational certification is still pending.

“This is indeed a rush job,” Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) deputy chairman Djoko Setijowarno told The Jakarta Post last Friday.

“But quality control should not be violated, even though the construction process is racing against time and high rainfall.”

Technical requirements, particularly with regard to runway paving, require time for proper settling, he explained. Rushing these stages could lead to future issues and costly repairs, similar to highway projects that deteriorated shortly after being inaugurated.

“If the airport’s construction cannot be expedited, I suggest to just say so. The president’s activities in the IKN are not so frequent that we need to force this and risk problems later,” said Djoko, who has visited the airport site several times.

Nusantara Airport, construction of which began in November last year, sits on a 347ha plot and features a 7,350sq m terminal. While the originally planned 3,000m runway could accommodated large commercial aircraft, the current focus is on completing a shorter, 2,200m runway by July to meet the August deadline, according to Danis Hidayat Sumadilaga, who heads the IKN infrastructure development task force.

The completed airport will have the capacity to accommodate three large commercial aircraft, one small aircraft and three helicopters.

“It is promised that work on the runway will reach 2,200m by July 2024, and that the work will be 100% complete by the end of December 2024,” Danis was quoted as saying by news agency Antara on April 21.

The project, estimated to cost 4.3 trillion rupiah, is funded entirely from the 2023 state budget.

Aviation expert Gerry Soejatman considers the timely completion and certification “very possible”, given the airport’s limited scope.

Since it is not being designed for commercial use, only essential public facilities need to be operational initially. This focus on a smaller, non-commercial airport allows for faster construction than what would be required for a full-fledged commercial facility.

“The airport is not designed for commercial flights, and investors saw no guaranteed return on investment,” Soejatman told the Post last Thursday. However, this might not necessarily spell the end for the airport’s commercial viability.

“There’s no firm stance from the government that the airport will be VVIP only,” he added. “We know the IKN needs private investment for its development.”

Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono previously noted the possibility of Nusantara Airport becoming a commercial facility in the future, as reported by Detik.

Experts say uncertainty regarding the new capital’s role, specifically whether it will serve solely as an administrative centre or also as an economic hub, has created doubts about the airport’s viability for commercial flights.

Setijowarno of MTI advised against using Nusantara Airport for commercial purposes, emphasising its initial purpose to serve guests and the fact that it only has one runway, akin to Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in Jakarta.

Aviation expert Alvin Lie stressed that Nusantara Airport was not designed to handle intensive public traffic and logistics, making its operational and maintenance costs unfeasible for commercial use.

“It was built to accommodate a limited number of high-ranking officials with low utilisation rates,” Lie said last Thursday.

“Nusantara’s design as an administrative hub does not support commercial viability.”

 - ANN