VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Government of Belitung District, Bangka Belitung Islands Province, is focused on completing the revitalization of H.A.S Hanandjoeddin Airport in Tanjung Pandan to ensure the success of the 2022 G20 Development Working Group (DWG) Meeting.

"We are targeting that preparations for the G20 DWG (Development Working Group) in Belitung be completed by the end of August this year (in 2022)," Head of Belitung District Sahani Saleh stated during a virtual meeting on coordination for the G20 Preparations on Thursday, as quoted from a statement here on Friday.

DWG is one of the working groups of Indonesia's G20 Presidency that aims to discuss developmental issues in least developed countries, developing countries, and small developing islands countries. The 2022 G20 will take place on September 7-9, 2022.

Hence, renovations of the airports, roads, as well as public facilities and infrastructure will continue to be conducted, the district head noted.

"All access points, such as the roads leading to the main venue (of the event) and tourism destinations (prepared) for the G20 delegates, continue to be constructed and (the work on them is) targeted to be completed by the end of this month (August 2022)," he noted.

The state-run airport operator Angkasa Pura (AP) II's Executive General Manager of the H.A.S Hanandjoeddin Tanjung Pandan Airport, Khaerul Asidiqi, said that his side will optimize improvements of the airport facilities since the number of flights from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang City, Banten Province, will be increased to eight per day.

"We are ready to accommodate the additional flights, considering that so far, only 50 percent of the slot time at the Tanjung Pandan Airport was used," he noted.

Meanwhile, the representative of the management board of Tanjung Kelayang Special Economic Zone (KEK), Daniel Alexander, stated that progress in the construction of the main venue of the event has reached 80 percent. His side has also readied 40 suites for the participants.

"We are determined to present the best venue that gives the first impression that Indonesia, specifically Belitung Island, is an archipelagic state, with myriad potentials, including the natural beauty," he added. (antaranews)