A ground-breaking ceremony was held recently to mark the start of work on the new Yogyakarta International Airport.

The new hub in Kulon Progo, west of the Indonesian city, will lead to a ten-fold increase in Yogyakarta’s air capacity, allowing the launch of direct long-haul flights.

Indonesia’s Transportation Minister, Budi Karya Sumadi, who presided over Friday’s ceremony, said the airport would be able to handle Islamic pilgrimage flights to and from Saudi Arabia.

“Currently, flights to the farthest destination from Yogyakarta are to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to a plan, the farthest destination to be served will be Jeddah, so Yogyakarta’s inhabitants can go for Hajj from Yogyakarta,” the minister was quoted saying by the Antara news agency. “The airport will become operational in March 2019,” he added.

At present, Yogyakarta’s Adi Sutjipto Airport can handle just 1.2 million passengers per year. In its first stage of development, the new airport will be able to accommodate up to 15m passengers per year with a 3,250-metre-long runway able to handle large twin-aisle jet aircraft. A second stage of development between 2031 and 2041 could further boost capacity to 20m per year.

Indonesia’s airport operator, PT Angkasa Pura I, has reportedly allocated IDR9.3 trillion (US$697m) for the development of the new airport.