Kulon Progo Airport construction to kick off in May

The construction of an international airport in Kulon Progo district, Yogyakarta province, will kick off in May 2016, Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla has hinted.

“God willing, it will be built starting May. Hopefully, land clearance and design will be completed in May so it can be completed in 2019 or 2020,” he said after holding a closed-door meeting at Congot Radar in Kulon Progo, Saturday.

All serious problems related to the planned construction of the airport have been resolved so that the project can be started soon, he said.

“There are no longer any land problems. The Yogyakarta governor has ordered (his staff) to resolve them. Furthermore, state airport operator Angkasa Pura I is also ready,” he said.

The funds needed to construct the airport will come from Angkasa Pura Is budget and the company will cooperate with foreign parties to build and manage the airport, he said.

The project will also include the construction of roads and railway tracks. In the initial phase of the project, an estimated three thousand workers will be employed, he said.

After holding a closed-door meeting for nearly one and a half hours, the Vice President and his entourage observed the planned location for the construction of the airport from the third floor of the Congot radar.