DENPASAR ~

Officials from a number of agencies evaluated the access road from Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali, to Kuta area within one to two weeks after the refusal from local residents.

“We also agreed on the result of the meeting to temporarily open access for one to two weeks ahead while leading a review with the relevant parties,” said Co-General Manager of PT Angkasa Pura I Ngurah Rai airport, I Gusti Ngurah Ardita in Denpasar on Friday.

Previously, local residents protested the closure policy related to traffic flow around the airport to Kuta.

In the aftermath of the protests, the relevant authorities finally approved the pretension of the local residents and dismantle the barrier in the form of small park using an excavator done by the management of PT Angkasa Pura I.

Agreement for reopening the access is reached after a meeting of officials from relevant agencies such as Angkasa Pura I Ngurah Rai, Head of Kuta as the initiator, a representative parliament, the police, the Department of Transportation and the Village Council.

Management of Angkasa Pura I, he said, predicting traffic congestion to the airport after the reopening of the path from Jimbaran and Nusa Dua to Kuta headed back through the airport.

For that he expected the local government to participate in evaluating the congestion problem which may be re-occur at Ngurah Rai Airport Road because it affects the flight operations and the comfort of the tourists through the re-opening that road access.

“What needs to be told to the community is that we are arranging the road in the airport that solely aimed to meet the needs of service users. So it is not a public access but special access the airport where the process is studied by various parties such as Transportation Department, Police, Head and local village chief,” he added.

Since September 2013, the management of PT. Angkasa Pura I (Persero) I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport re-set the access within the airport and its surrounding to cope with congestion.

It is done to make Ngurah Rai Airport Road as a special access for passengers and other airport users, as well as close access from the airport to Jalan Dewi Sartika, Kuta.

This is done after the airport in collaboration with Transportation of Badung, Head of Kuta, Kuta Police, Police Region Ngurah Rai Airport, Airport Authority, Head of Kuta and Tuban headman conduct a study to reduce congestion at the airport access.

“Considering that the airport service users such as airline crews and passengers should be in time (arrive at airport), then we should be able to parse and resolve the congestion problem that often occur and then it is decided to reorganize the airport access,” said Ardita.

Angkasa Pura I claimed that they have conducted a study and has socializes this policy to all stakeholders, in this case the Department of Transport, Local Government Police until represented by sub-district of Kuta, Kuta village chief and headman of Tuban.