JAKARTA — The airport in Indonesia’s upcoming capital, Nusantara, is set to open for commercial flights by the end of 2024, transforming the facility into a commercial hub for East Kalimantan, President Joko Widodo announced. Initially intended for VVIPs, the airport will now serve the broader public and is expected to accommodate up to 200,000 passengers initially, with long-term plans for handling seven million passengers annually.
President Widodo, also known as Jokowi, made his first landing at the still-under-construction Nusantara Airport on September 24 and directed the transportation minister to upgrade its status to a commercial airport. He emphasized that the change would benefit the local community by providing easier access to religious pilgrimages, such as the Hajj.
The airport, with a runway of 3,000 meters and 45 meters wide, can handle wide-bodied international aircraft. Built at a cost of 4.3 trillion rupiah (S$334 million), the terminal and main access roads are nearing completion, while other facilities are still under construction.
This move is expected to boost visitor traffic to Nusantara, which had previously relied on Balikpapan, a two-hour drive away, for commercial flights. President Widodo, who will work from Nusantara until handing over power in October, said the airport’s opening is a significant step in developing Indonesia’s new smart and green capital, a US$35 billion project aimed at transforming over 2,000 square kilometers of East Kalimantan into a modern city over the next three decades.