Jero Wacik hints at new airport location

Originally Posted by SHoggard

As I understand it: civil aviation authority allocates airlines 'slots' & with 7+ million people funneling through Ngurah Rai I can see why government might want to relieve some of the pressure in the South & open up the North.

As for the bukit problem - how do the Swiss get airborne? They've got nothing but bukits there.

The Swiss have no options. Take a look at a relief map of Bali.

its not going happen. pastika try to move bali development to north because it was his homeland.
but after his reign, those project will halt. he must finish it before his reign ended. but its too difficult.
Jakarta have the same issues too for building monorail.
its typical indonesian people, hate for accept those reality.

DON'T WANT TO SAY "HA-HA" BUT "I KNEW IT"

Off the Radar Screen
North Bali Airport Project in a Holding Pattern


(4/1/2012) The provincial government of Bali is questioning the seriousness of the Central Government in its stated desire to build an airport in the north Bali regency of Buleleng.

Although long discussed, Bali’s provincial administrators have yet to receive a copy of a promised feasibility study for an “airport of the north.”

As reported by Beritabali.com, the head of the Provincial Planning Agency for Bali (Bappeda), Tjokorda Ngurah Pemayun, has confirmed that he has repeatedly and unsuccessfully sought explanations about the Buleleng Airport Project from the Ministry of Transportation and the National Planning Agency (Bappenas).

Similarly, it is difficult to determine the current status or the seriousness of an Indian investors once reported to be considering investing in the north Bali air gateway.

Pemayun continued, explaining: “After the change of ministers until now, there has been no follow up. Meanwhile at Bappenas (the plan) continues with a final plan promised in October. Hopefully, we can wait until October.”

Pemayun said the regional government in Buleleng has two different locations it deems suitable as locations for the airport, one in east Buleleng and the other in the regency’s west. Both locations, however, are problematic. The eastern location may be considered too mountainous, while the west is afflicted by wind patterns inimical to take offs and landings.

if Bagiade's son wins the Bupati seat, it's a go ahead,
if someone else wins the election to become Bupati...who knows.

?? Has nothing to do if Bagiade's son become bupati or not in my opinion, point is: there's no adequate infrastructure, the investors are plinplan (yes we invest in Negara, evreywhere else of course too lalalala), the plots are not optimal too....and EVEN IF the airlines will still want to land in the south

Westbali - near Pekutatan - would be ideal, government owns it, perfect shape, near Java; they said they will build it and the same investors already signed it (at least I'm pretty sure that most of them are the same), AND THAN new governor said "meh"

Originally Posted by sakumabali

?? Has nothing to do if Bagiade's son become bupati or not in my opinion, point is: there's no adequate infrastructure, the investors are plinplan (yes we invest in Negara, evreywhere else of course too lalalala), the plots are not optimal too....and EVEN IF the airlines will still want to land in the south

you still don't get the basic 'i wash your hand-you wash my hand' scenario..

Travelers invited to other parts of Bali | The Jakarta Post

Pastika also deplored the slow progress on plans to construct a new airport in north Bali. “It only takes about three hours to get from the south to the north of the island. I think it is still possible for travelers to vacation away from the south,” he said.

I don't think that tourists who just arrived on their holiday destination island after a 10,15,20 hours flight are still in the mood to drive for 3 hours on a small shitty dangerous road...towards their hotel in the south.
I say build a bridge to Java (high security checks), a highway from Gilimanuk to Denpasar and, If there's REALLY A NEED to build, build the new airport somewhere in the west of Bali (maybe Pekutatan, google "Negara International Airport" etc), a highway from the north to the south would be much more effective than a new airport without adequate roads!! We don't need an airport in the north just for nepotistic reasons! Lombok has a new airport, check (so a new airport in the east of Bali would be foolish), East Java has no airport (next in Surabaya) so in case an airport would be build in Westbali: it's close to the north of bali, close to the east of java and it would be ON a NEW HIGHWAY from Jakarta - Denpasar (maybe 30 min to drive on a future highway). And this one will be built one day we all know...

A new airport is the North makes as much sense to me as tits on a bull, but Bali being Bali, I'm sure it's going to happen. One more step (a BIG one this time) toward the destruction of the Island.

"I can explain it to you (did so several times), but I can't understand it for you"

The way I see it, there are two main reasons for the proposed second "international" airport "somewhere in North Bali":

(1) To relieve pressure on the current hoplessly inadequate one
(2) To encourage more tourists to stay and spend their money in the North

Much of Southern Bali is already creaking at the seams - traffic "management" is an on-going disaster, with many areas virtually in grid-lock on a daily basis. Existing infrastructure, such as it is, is struggling to cope with domestic demands, let alone the relentless influx of millions of annual tourists.

Some, (but not all), local politicians want to increase tourist arrival numbers to astronomical levels (7 million/year? in the near future). IMHO, this is patently stupid given the current mess the South is in.

So - building an airport somewhere in the North, and spreading the destruction more "equally" around there makes little sense, in the long term.

Rather than carrying on with this madness, perhaps Bali should put up a "Sorry - Full" sign and deal with its existing problems and fix them first, before tossing even more petrol on the smouldering fires. Let the current airport deal as best as it can - if it can't cope with increasing numbers, limit them.

I seriously doubt that a second international airport in North Bali will ever be built. And even if it is, it will be hamstrung by how to move tens of thousands of passengers daily to the South (or other parts of Bali, such as Ubud), where, like it or not, most tourists want to go first.

I know there's been much talk about building a North-South tollroad/freeway, but it hasn't been built yet. Even when it is, there will still be problems moving hundreds of busloads of people from the airport (maybe East of Singaraja "somewhere" before Tejakula), back westwards through Singaraja proper, Lovina and Serririt to join the "fast road" to the South. Or are there also plans to build a coastal By-Pass Road? Overpasses? Tunnels?

To all those expats who already love living in the North, "hidden jewel" hyperbole aside, maybe you should try and keep it "hidden". An airport near you will change nearly everything for the worse.

The "somewhere in Negara" option a few years ago at least made a little sense, if one is convinced of the need for the second airport in the first place. At least there, there's not an East-West mountain range blocking the way to Denpasar and beyond.

One last thought. By the time if, or ever, Bandara Buleleng materialises, tourist arrivals by air might have started their inevitable decline.

Originally Posted by gilbert de jong

"I can explain it to you (did so several times), but I can't understand it for you"

Man has always sacrificed truth to his vanity, comfort and advantage. He lives...by make-believe. (W. Somerset Maugham, The Summing Up, 1938)

Gilbert I know you try very hard to make it happen; bought land spend a lot of money etc, but this not make this new airport project more ideal. I will not repeat all the points against this airport in the north. You can understand it (as you said above) just because you WANT to understand it (for your own benefit), and if a bupati's son got elected or not will not change a thing as long as this son is not a $billionaire and pay all the expenses himself

Originally Posted by JohnnyCool

One last thought. By the time if, or ever, Bandara Buleleng materialises, tourist arrivals by air might have started their inevitable decline

That's VERY possible...I like Bali every year less and less and I know so do many many others, hell they build right now a new "international" airport at Ngurah Rai! Why should they build on a small island two new international airports in the same time? I know many things get very easily "confirmed" here in Indonesia but does anybody really believe that investors are prepared to take a risk like that? I don't think so...I have often the feeling that this airport project in the north is similar to a developer who built 20 villas and all the time advertising "hurry up...almost all has been sold, don't miss the chance of a lifetime" blablabla but instead hasn't sold anything yet...summary: these investors would probably do it but they want concessions (no or low tax in the beginning), assurances from the government regarding the repayment structure etc etc and I don't think the government is willing to guarantee this

Bali News: Runway in Sight?
Minister of Tourism and the Creative Economy, Mari Elka Pangestu, speaking at the governor’s office on Thursday, April 12, 2012, said she supported plans for another airport in Bali to support the current Ngurah Rai International Airport. Pangestu said: “We need to review this (the new airport). What’s important is how to meet the demand for flights to Bali and how to make Bali’s north prosper, not only Bali’s south.”

What about the prosperity of Bali's east or Bali's west? Why suddenly, since Pastika's election, everybody is talking about Bali's north? What a coincidence!