Free Aircraft Parking at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, With a Catch
Jakarta. State airport operator Angkasa Pura II is offering free overnight parking for airlines willing to park their airplanes outside Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport in a move to reduce overcrowding at its aprons.
AP II President Director Muhammad Awalludin said at least 149 airplanes are regularly parked overnight at the airport — a procedure known as Remind Over Night (RON), which makes it hard for officials to fit all of them in.
To address the situation, AP II is offering free overnight parking at 12 airports operated by the firm as well as free advertising spots at certain airports, Awalludin said.
The catch is that airlines will have to provide an evening flight heading to the airport they will park their aircraft in, or a morning flight from that airport the next day.
"The airlines will get a chance to fly more people in and out of our airports and we will help their promotion with our free advertising spots," Awaluddin said on Wednesday (05/04).
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said the policy will offer opportunities for airlines to take in more passengers and distribute flights more evenly at airports across the country.
"The flight ecosystem will improve and Angkasa Pura will make money from increasing the number of passengers at its airports," Arief said.
He added the policy can also boost tourism in many provinces.
"If the airlines park their airplanes at other airports, they will have to carry passengers to and from those areas. Local tourism will grow. The whole tourism industry will benefit from this policy," the minister said.
The airports earmarked for the free overnight parking are Halim Perdanakusuma in East Jakarta; Husein Sastranegara in Bandung, West Java; Kuala Namu in Medan, North Sumatra; Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II in Palembang, South Sumatra; Sultan Syarif Kasim II in Pekanbaru, Riau; and Minangkabau in Padang, West Sumatra.
If the policy goes well, it may also incorporate Supadio Airport in Pontianak, West Kalimantan; Raja Haji Fisabilillah in Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands; Sultan Thaha in Jambi; Radin Inten II in Lampung; Sultan Iskandar Muda in Aceh; and Silangit in North Tapanuli, North Sumatera.
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