INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta- Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the airport to be built in Kediri, East Java, is planned to be built by the end of 2018 and by the end of 2019 can already start operating.

Budi attended a coordination meeting at Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs, Jakarta, Thursday (5/4/2018) with a number of stakeholders including the Air Force, PT Gudang Garam Tbk as an investor of Kediri airport and PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero).

"Coordinating Minister (Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan) is monitoring this activity and we hope it can start to build this year and as soon as possible," he added.

Budi explained based on Gudang Garam exposure, the airport plan will be built with runway along 3000 meters. However, in the early stages, the runway length will be built along the 2,400 meters.

"They already love the proposal, the investment value is approximately Rp 5 trillion," he said.

There is now, Budi said, the construction of new airports entered the stage of determining the location and design decisions.

Added Budi, airport development plan in Kediri has received support because the ranks of local governments to the Air Force have agreed.

"Because this airport will overshadow a large population of 15 million people, consisting of more than 10 districts / cities," he said as quoted by Antara.

Director General of Land Procurement at the Ministry of Agriculture and Spatial Planning / National Land Agency Arie Yuriwin, said that at the same time, his side is preparing the location determination in order to implement the land procurement.

"We have to have a spatial suitability, just out the determination of the location, we just land procurement," he said.

He explained the total land that will be used for the construction of an airport of 457 hectares, part of which has been owned by Gudang Garam. "The problem is only in the spatial plan," Arie said.