Batam airport set to operate 24/7

JAKARTA. The Batam Indonesia Free Trade Zone Authority (BIFZA) will operate Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands, around the clock, following its status as a connecting airport for a number of airlines.

The director of the One-Door Integrated Service and BIFZA spokesman, Dwi Djoko Wiwoho, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that his office, at the instruction of the Transportation Ministry, was preparing to operate Hang Nadim Airport around the clock from the end of May.

Personnel will be ready to man the traffic control tower (ATC) and other offices, such as those of customs and immigration.

“We will start operating 24 hours a day by the end of May. We are ready and personnel have been prepared for the purpose. The policy is also in anticipation of the airport’s status as a connecting airport for a number of airlines,” said Djoko.

According to Djoko, the airport’s change in status is within the framework of aligning five other airports in Indonesia that operate around the clock, namely Ngurah Rai in Bali; Soekarno-Hatta in Jakarta; Juanda in Surabaya, East Java; Sultan Hasanuddin in Makassar, South Sulawesi; and Kuala Namu in Medan, North Sumatra.