The Indonesian government is upgrading the Silangit Airport in North Tapanuli District to an international airport in 2017 to support access to Lake Toba, North Sumatra, according to Tourism Minister Arief Yahya.
The government plans to extend the runway of the airport from 2,400 meters in length to 2,650 meters, and from 30 meters wide to 45 meters, so it can accommodate flights of Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
“The progress is good, and we aim to build an extended airport, including the Silangit Airport, which will be upgraded to an international airport,” Yahya stated after attending a coordination meeting June 12 to discuss the management of Lake Toba.
The construction of an access road to Lake Toba is also progressing according to schedule, the minister said.
The development of Silangit Airport is aimed at increasing the number of tourist arrivals at Lake Toba, said a report by state-run Antara News.
Yahya expressed the belief that the airport improvements will help the government achieve its target of attracting 20 million foreign tourists to the tourism destination.
He added that since it is near Singapore, Lake Toba’s strategic location can also help increase the number of flights to Silangit Airport once the air hub has been improved.
Yahya said several investors, including those from China and Singapore, are willing to develop the tourism destination, but they are urging the repair of the access road to Lake Toba.
Lake Toba in North Sumatra is one of the 10 national strategic tourism areas in Indonesia. The others are Tanjung Kelayang in Bangka Belitung, Morotai in North Maluku, Tanjung Lesung in Banten, Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi, Thousand Islands in DKI Jakarta, Borobudur Temple in Central Java, Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara, and Bromo Tengger in East Java.
Photo: Hendro Jekson S
