Purbalingga (Antaranews Jateng) - The groundbreaking for the airport of General Soedirman in Purbalingga, Central Java, is expected to take place in April 2018, Purbalingga Regent Tasdi said.

"The plan is the groundbreaking ceremony will be in April. Currently we are coordinating with all concerned," Tasdi said here on Wednesday.

He said the groundbreaking ceremony would be a follow up of the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Purbalingga district administration and state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II, in November 2017.

PT Angkasa Pura II which will be the operator of the airport already started work with finalization of Detailed Engineering Design (DED).

The regent said there are already four investors planning to build hotels in Purbalingga not far from the location where the airport would be built.

The hotels to be built include Bima Grand Hotel, Suit Garden Hotel, and Kokoria Hotel and an airport hotel of PT Angkasa Pura II, he said.

Earlier, Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the airport of Gen. Soedirman Wirasaba in Purbalingga, was to be operational by the end of 2018.

The minister said in the first phase, the airport would have a runway of 1,600 meters long , 30 meter wide and a terminal of around 3,000 square meter.

The airport would be able to handle 500,000 passengers a year, he added.