REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SAMARINDA -- President Joko Widodo is set to inaugurate an airport in the outlying resort island of Maratua in Berau district, East Kalimantan, along with 18 other airports in the country.
"The president will inaugurate 18 airports in Indonesia. However, we have not been informed of when and where the president will symbolically inaugurate the 18 airports," Head of the East Kalimantan Provincial Transportation Office Zairin Zain stated here on Monday.
Certainly, Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan will inaugurate the Maratua Airport in December this year, he noted.
The construction of Maratua Aiport, which kicked off in 2011, has cost Rp100 billion to the provincial government and Rp40 billion to the central government.
The Beru district government has only prepared the land for the construction of the airport and has built roads leading to the airport.
For the operations of the airport, with a 1.4 thousand-meter long runway, an old building owned by the Beru district government will be used as a terminal.
"Funds from the state and provincial budgets will be used for the development of the apron and runway. We have also proposed that funds from the state budget will be used for the construction of arrival and departure terminals," he added.
The airport, which is located in the outlying island of Maratua, also functions as a means to keep the Unitary Republic of Indonesia intact along with providing easy access to domestic and foreign tourists to the island, which is also known for its underwater scenery.
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