Garuda to develop Bintan aviation hub
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Garuda Indonesia has signed a new deal that will lead to the establishment of a new aviation hub on the island of Bintan.
The national carrier has formed a partnership with Singapore-based investment company, Gallant Venture, to develop Bintan’s new international airport and build a maintenance centre on the island. Garuda also said it would “promote Bintan as an international tourism destination”.
“This new operation out of Bintan will help strengthen Garuda’s network development, with a potential to connect East Indonesia with West Indonesia and become the meeting point for our international flights to Europe and the Far East. With our regional fleet stationed in Bintan, Garuda will be able to be more competitive to service the second tier tourist and business destination cities within ASEAN,” said Garuda’s president, Emirsyah Satar.
Work on the Bintan Airport commenced in 2012, and the facility will initially include one runway and one terminal building, although there is space available to expand these facilities. The airport will be connected to a ferry terminal offering services to Singapore and Batam. Gallant Venture already operates ferries between Bintan and Singapore’s Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.
“We want to develop Bintan as the choice destination for travellers and extend our Bintan Industrial Estate into a world class centre for the aerospace industry,” said Gallant’s CEO, Eugene Park. “We are committed to invest providing the necessary infrastructure to serve the growing number of visitors to this island.”
In addition to the airport, the companies will jointly develop a maintenance centre for Garuda aircraft. This will form part of the 177-hectare Bintan Aerospace Industry Park, which will also feature a range of residential facilities including staff housing, a health centre, sports centre and retail outlets.
Part of the Riau islands, Bintan is currently accessible by ferry from Singapore and Batam, both of which have international airports. The new Bintan Airport will be used solely by Garuda and its subsidiaries.
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