Asia

Indonesian capital's airport opens $560 million terminal

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Passengers wait for their flights on the first day of operation of the new terminal of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang in the outskirt of Jakarta, Indonesia, early Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016. The Indonesian capital's airport opened its $560 million, steel and glass Terminal 3 Tuesday after years of operating at far above its passenger capacity. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) (The Associated Press)

An employee uses her mobile phone to take photos of a Garuda Indonesia jetliner on the first day of operation of the new terminal of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang in the outskirt of Jakarta, Indonesia, early Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016. The Indonesian capital's airport opened its $560 million, steel and glass Terminal 3 Tuesday after years of operating at far above its passenger capacity. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) (The Associated Press)

Ground crew prepare a Garuda Indonesia jetliner for departure on the first day of operation of the new terminal of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang in the outskirt of Jakarta, Indonesia, early Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016. The Indonesian capital's airport opened its $560 million steel and glass Terminal 3 Tuesday after years of operating at far above its passenger capacity. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) (The Associated Press)

The Indonesian capital's airport opened a new terminal after years of operating at far above its passenger capacity.

Domestic flights for national carrier Garuda began operating Tuesday from Soekarno-Hatta airport's steel and glass $560 million Terminal 3.

Other airlines will gradually shift domestic and international flights to the terminal and the airport company plans to start refurbishing two old terminals later this year.

The airport will be able to handle 62 million passengers a year once the renovated terminals are fully operational again in early 2018. The two old terminals handled about 54 million passengers last year.

Budi Karya Sumadi, the president of the airport company, says "this terminal was built to change the image of the capital Jakarta as the window of our nation."