Watch: New Mentawai Airport Will Support Influx of Over 50K Visitors Annually
The times they are a changin,' even in the Mentawais.
On my first trip there at 17 in 1999, we were the only foreigners on the overnight ferry from Padang to our home for 10 days, a small Indonesian fishing boat. It was the same routine for three more trips. On one, a friend stayed to start Kandui Resort.
During my last trip in 2009, while six months pregnant, travel had gotten a little easier. From Padang, we took a Cessna to Sipura Rokot Airport (SRA), then a small motor boat to Kandui through weather and a swell reminiscent of The Perfect Storm (their speedboat was down). Now, access to the Mentawais will be borderline luxe.
In the video above, The Washington Post's Michael Robinson Chavez reports that a new airport is under construction in the Mentawais. In the article, he wrote:
"For tourists, the Mentawais — or “Ments” — have been reachable only by boat, but that will soon change. An airport expansion on Sipura is expected to be completed this year, and a 1,500-meter runway will allow passenger jets to land. The growing tourism economy stands to benefit, but with it comes more foreign investment. Locals will compete for business with interests from mainland Indonesia and Singapore.
According to CAPA Centre for Aviation, a $38.4 million renovation is revamping SRA into the New Mentawai Airport which can accommodate an annual capacity of 53,881.
Whoa.
CAPA's website says:
"The airport will replace Sipora Rokot Airport. It will aim to boost inter-regional connectivity around the Mentawai Islands and is expected to enhance the tourism sector in the islands."
Sounds like it'll also enhance the number of people in the lineup.
SRA's current runway and passenger terminal are being expanded, and a cargo terminal and other supporting facilities are being constructed.
While SRA accommodated Grand Caravan aircrafts, aka Cessnas with 10 to 14 seats, it will now facilitate commercial ATR 72 aircrafts with 44 to 78 seats.
The gentrification of the Mentawais has hit a new level.
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