ID :
21025
Wed, 09/24/2008 - 21:24
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/21025
The shortlink copeid
NTB GOVT DETERMINED TO COMPLETE INT`L AIRPORT PROJECT IN 2009
Mataram, Sept 24 (ANTARA) - West Nusa Tenggara (NTB)'s provincial administration is determined to complete the province's international airport project in 2009 so that it could become operational in 2010, Governor M. Zainul Majdi said.
To achieve its goal, the NTB provincial government would make efforts to obtain Rp65 billion in funds from the State Budget as well as its regional budget in 2009, Majdi said here Wednesday.
The provincial administration had estimated , the project -- located at Tanak Awu , Pujut sub district, Central Lombok, and to be implemented over a period of five years -- would cost a total of Rp125 billion.
"The Provincial Legislative Assembly has agreed to the budget for the project and we began to cash the budget allocation in 2007," the governor said.
After completion, the airport was expected to increase the flow of tourists to the province, and also to function as an embarkation point for would-be hajj pilgrims from NTB, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and Bali.
At present, would-be hajj pilgrims from NTB had to board direct flights to the Holy Land at other airports because the province's existing airport could not accommodate wide-bodied aircraft.
Meanwhile, the head of NTB's religious affairs office, H. Suhaimi Ismy, said an average of around 4,600 would-be hajj pilgrims from NTB must always go to Juanda airport in Surabaya, East Java, first to catch flights to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The flights from Mataram to Juanda airport take 8-10 hours and extra expenditure on the part of the would-be hajj pilgrims. When they could take the flights to Jeddah in Mataram, they could altogether save more than Rp10 billion, Ismy said.
To achieve its goal, the NTB provincial government would make efforts to obtain Rp65 billion in funds from the State Budget as well as its regional budget in 2009, Majdi said here Wednesday.
The provincial administration had estimated , the project -- located at Tanak Awu , Pujut sub district, Central Lombok, and to be implemented over a period of five years -- would cost a total of Rp125 billion.
"The Provincial Legislative Assembly has agreed to the budget for the project and we began to cash the budget allocation in 2007," the governor said.
After completion, the airport was expected to increase the flow of tourists to the province, and also to function as an embarkation point for would-be hajj pilgrims from NTB, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and Bali.
At present, would-be hajj pilgrims from NTB had to board direct flights to the Holy Land at other airports because the province's existing airport could not accommodate wide-bodied aircraft.
Meanwhile, the head of NTB's religious affairs office, H. Suhaimi Ismy, said an average of around 4,600 would-be hajj pilgrims from NTB must always go to Juanda airport in Surabaya, East Java, first to catch flights to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The flights from Mataram to Juanda airport take 8-10 hours and extra expenditure on the part of the would-be hajj pilgrims. When they could take the flights to Jeddah in Mataram, they could altogether save more than Rp10 billion, Ismy said.
