The old and crowded airport, Soekarno-Hatta suffering from competition of the largest airports in the Southeast Asia. With the new investment capital will be able to move 62 million passengers a year by giving new impetus to the economy and tourism.
Jakarta (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Jakarta airport has opened a new terminal costing 560 million dollars, wanted to "change the image of the capital." For years the Soekarno-Hatta has handled an aircraft and passenger traffic well above their means, ranking as one of the most crowded and less modern in the world. With this new investment, Indonesia, one of the fastest gowing economies in the world, wants to relaunch itself as a main hub for tourism in Southeast Asia.
The new terminal, the number three, will be open to international travel next month, while the national carrier Garuda has already started using it. As companies move into the new structure, the authorities are planning to renovate the two older terminals were built in 1984 and 1992.
Indonesia is a country of 250 million people and has one of the largest markets for air travel in the world. Until now, however, Jakarta has been snubbed by big companies who prefer more modern airports like Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.
In 2015, Soekarno-Hatta routed 54 million passengers and was the 18th busiest in the world. In 2018, when the new terminal will be fully operational, it will be able to take on 62 million people a year.
Indonesia is one of the most vibrant economies in the world, although in 2015 it registered a small decline. With a GDP of 861 billion dollars, Jakarta is expected to grow by 5.2% in 2016.