Yogyakarta — Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi noted that the construction of Kulon Progo Airport would support economic activity, particularly in the tourism sector in the areas of Yogyakarta and Central Java. “The airport will be connected to the toll road and railways, which will not only ease the transportation of tourists to Yogyakarta, but also to Central Java, including the Borobudur temple tourist destination,” Sumadi said here Friday (25/08). Sumadi attended a seminar on the Kulon Progo Airport and on the ‘Acceleration of Yogyakarta Economy.’ According to Sumadi, Adicsutjipto Airport located in Yogyakarta could not accommodate more flights. The appropriate passenger capacity in Adisutjipto is 1.2 million to 1.5 million people per year. However, the airport served 6.2 million passengers in 2014, Sumadi revealed. The apron capacity is limited to eight airplanes with 2,200 meters of runway. Meanwhile, the Kulon Progo Airport can support additional flights to Yogyakarta and increase the potential in the tourism sector, he maintained. The airport, targeted to constructed by March 2019, will be developed gradually. The first phase of the construction will be done in an area of 130,000 square meters that can accommodate 15 million passengers per year. The apron has 3,250 meters of runway and an apron that can accommodate 35 airplanes. Meanwhile, the second phase of the development is targeting to increase passenger occupancy at 20 million people per year by utilizing 3,600 meters of runway, with the capacity to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft.