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INDONESIA: Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is facing serious problems of overcapacity and an out-dated air traffic control system.
Authorities are rushing to make improvements, after two recent mishaps left thousands of passengers stranded.
Long queues and delays are not unusual at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, as Indonesia's main airport feels the effects of a boom in air travel.
This year, some 40 million passengers are expected to pass through its terminals - an increase of around 1 million each year since 2007.
The Eid celebration, which marks the end of the Muslin fasting month, will see 20 per cent more travellers flying in and out of Jakarta.
PT Angakasa Pura II corporate secretary Hari Cahyono said: "As we know, the capacity at Soekrano-Hatta Airport has gone beyond what is convenient".
A recent power outage at the domestic terminal left thousands of passengers stranded for almost half a day.
The radar system also recently failed, causing delays to flights in and out of Jakarta.
The Indonesian government has already announced plans to spend US$100 million to replace the airport's 25-year-old navigational system.
Upgrading of the entire airport is also on the cards - including the addition of a third runaway.
"Right now, we are preparing a grand design which will improve accessibility, connectivity and integration," Mr Cahyono said.
"The plan has to be up soon because we do not have much time due to the explosion of passenger numbers at the Soekarno-Hatta airport," he said.
The domestic terminal airport was first used open for international travel 25 years ago. It is expected to get a new lease of life when the major expansion plan is finally approved.
But that's not expected in the next five years. In the meantime, passengers will just have to put up with the inconvenience of long queues and regular delays.
Even an additional domestic terminal, built two years ago, was not enough to cope with the increase in passenger volume.
Some of the 14 domestic airlines headquartered in Jakarta decided to station their aircraft and crew away from the Soekarno-Hatta airport.
This is to avoid delays, especially during the morning rush hour.
"We have moved some of our crew to Surabaya. Surabaya has become the second base for Batavia Air," Batavia Air spokesman Eddy Haryanto said.
"We stationed a number of our aircraft and crew there. This is part of the solution for the overcapacity in Jakarta," he said.
Other Indonesian cities, with new and better equipped airports, are thus likely to get a bigger piece of the country's booming air industry -- at least, until Jakarta's main airport gets its upgrade.
-CNA/wk
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