Indonesia’s new Yogyakarta airport begins operations

Foto: Wakil Presiden RI Jusuf Kalla meninjau Bandar Udara Internasional Yogyakarta atau New Yogyakarta International Airport (NYIA) di Kabupaten Kulon Progo, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. (dok Setwapres RI)

Indonesia’s new Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA) began operations May 6. The new airport was built to replace Adisutjipto International.

The event was marked by the landing of its first commercial flight, a Citilink flight from Jakarta carrying 96 passengers. Indonesian LCC Lion Air and subsidiary Batik Air will begin operations to YIA from May 10.

The single-runway YIA was initially planned to serve international flights, but the Indonesian Transport Ministry suggested it will serve 20 to 30 domestic flights daily.
Construction of YIA was delayed because of land acquisition issues, and its first phase of construction is still not fully completed.

Source: gcdfm.com

A senior official from operator Angkasa Pura I told local reporters that the terminal is currently able to handle 5,000 passengers daily; once the 21,000 sq m terminal is completed, it will be able to 14 million passengers annually.

Situated 42 km (26 mi.) from the main Yogyakarta city and near the coastline, YIA was built to resist up to 8.8 Richter scale earthquakes and tsunami mitigation facilities. The latter includes a green belt of mangroves and pine trees, as well as a trench 200 m from the coastline. (atwonline)

More information: Wikipedia: Yogyakarta International Airport or Kulon Progo International Airport (IATA: YIA)