New Kualanamu Airport Ready To Serve Lebaran Holiday

Jakarta, July 22 (Antara) - The government is ready to operate the new Kualanamu airport in North Sumatra as of July 25 to serve "Lebaran" post-fasting holidaymakers. "For Lebaran service actually Kualanamu is better than the old Polonia airport," the director general of air transportation, Herry Bhakti, said here on Monday. He said Polonia airport in Medan, North Sumatra is already very crowded so that it is no longer conducive for accommodating Lebaran holiday makers. Kualanamu airport is wider and it is also able to accommodate more planes than Polonia, he said. "To accommodate extra flights during Lebaran holiday Kualanamu is also readier because its runway is longer and its apron is also wider," he added. Herry Bhakti said he believed the new airport could accommodate more service users and provide better flight service. As soon as the Kualanamu airport is officially operated flight activities at the old Polonia airport will be stopped, the president director of airport operator PT Angkasa Pura, Tri Sunoko, has said. The grand opening of the new Kualanamu airport located in the district of Deli Serdang is scheduled to be done by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on September 9. A day before the soft opening of the Kualanamu airport or on July 24, all scheduled planes would immediately fly there after dropping their passengers at the old Polonia airport. All planes that used to land at Polonia meanwhile must land at Kualanamu as of 00.01 hours on July 25.