MAKALENGKA, West Java – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expressed hope that interest from foreign investors to manage West Java’s Kertajati International Airport will precipitate an increase in traffic at the airport opened in 2018, reported ANTARA news agency.
“There is huge interest from various countries, and we will decide next October regarding who will operate the airport and be a part of its ownership,” the president stated during the press conference at the airport here on Tuesday.
Although Jokowi did not disclose details as to which countries are interested in investing in the airport, he did acknowledge that more than one country had shown interest.
“(It is) from several countries, not only one, and we expect it to complete by October. Everything is in process, and once they enter, we will discuss the equity percentage,” he remarked.
The president said that the entry of foreign investors to manage Kertajati International Airport would help increase flight traffic at the airport.
“We expect the traffic will be better, and we expect the investors’ interest would increase the traffic at Kertajati Airport,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, at a press conference in December 2022, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi named India and Saudi Arabia as the two countries that have expressed interest to manage Kertajati International Airport.
It was the result of his working visit to the two countries earlier in the same month.
As of May 28, 2023, Kertajati International Airport was serving as an embarkation point for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims in West Java.
The airport, being one of the National Strategic Projects (PSN) in West Java, is the second-largest airport in Indonesia after the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten. It has a total capacity of 5.6 million passengers annually.
