Angkasa Pura II (AP II), the operator of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Indonesia is planning to start the first phase of a $1.24bn expansion in the second week of July this year.
The first phase will involve the expansion of Terminal 3, which served 5.6 million passengers in 2011, 1.6 million over its official capacity.
The project also involves construction of a new apron at a cost of $84.8m to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft.
AP II president director Tri Sunoko told The Jakarta Post that the construction has to start immediately because Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is too crowded.
"We expect to finish the first phase of construction next year, so it will be able to operate in early 2014," Sunoko said.
According to the operator, Soekarno-Hatta airport's passenger capacity reached 51.1 million in 2011, serving 132% more passengers than its maximum capacity of 22 million passengers per year.
Soekarno-Hatta's expansion project also includes the modernisation of Terminals 1 and 2, as well as the development of the cargo terminal and other supporting facilities in addition to an integrated building connecting Terminals 1, 2 and 3.
The operator will also reconfigure runways 1 and 2 through an additional taxiway, create parking spaces for 174 aircraft, as well as build runways 3 and 4 on the north of the airport to increase capacity.
After completion in 2014, Terminal 3 would handle about 25 million passengers per year.
The operator aims to increase the airport's annual passenger handling capacity to 71 million in the next few years, supporting the Indonesian government's Master Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesian Economic Growth (MP3EI).
Angkasa Pura II is also planning to build a new terminal for Haj pilgrims at Halim Perdanakusumah Airport to avoid disruption of travel during renovation at Soekarno-Hatta.
Construction on the new terminal is expected to begin in the third quarter and is scheduled to be completed by 2013.
Image: The expansion project at the airport will increase parking spaces and allow to process 62 per hour. Photo: Gunkarta.
