The plane that was piloted by pilot Agus Setiono and co-pilot Teguh Kristiono, also carried 14 passengers. It departed from Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Cengkareng to land in Yogyakarta at noon sharp, one hour after the take off.
According to the pilot, the new Yogyakarta airport is less crowded than the old one, Adisutjipto Airport. The runway is smooth and up to international standards. The new airport is located in Kulon Progo regency, approximately 400 meters from the Indian Ocean coastline.
From May, 6, Citilink operates officially at the new airport serving round trips from/to Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma Airport.
From May, 10, Lion Air and Batik Air launch their flights between Yogyakarta's new airport and Bali, Balikpapan, Batam, Jakarta and Palangkaraya.
Initially, it was planned that the airport will serve international flights exclusively. Yet on the suggestion of the ministry it will most probably handle between 20 and 30 domestic flights, too.
New Yogyakarta International Airport Inaugurated
News in Asia
The new Yogyakarta International Airport (Bandar Udara Internasional Yogyakarta) is officially operational since last Thursday and now handles commercial flights. The first airline to land there was PT Citilink Indonesia.