The Indonesian government has said it would speed up the construction of a new airport in Medan following the crash of a Mandala plane near the Polonia Airport that killed at least 150 people on Monday, The Jakarta Post newspaper reported Wednesday.

Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa confirmed that the tender for the new airport, which has been in the planning since 1997, would be completed as soon as possible so that the project could begin early next year.

"We hope the construction of the new airport can commence next year," Hatta was quoted as saying.

In 1987, a Garuda plane crashed at Polonia airport when one of its wings hit an electricity pole in the housing complex. The accident left 28 people dead.

Monday's crash occurred after the aircraft failed to take off and ploughed through dozens of houses, residents and motorists. Besides possible human and technical error, many have blamed the crash on the airport's short runway and its location in a densely populated area in the middle of the city.

Adi Supranto, an executive with airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II, said the existing airport, despite its international status, was too small for medium- and wide-bodied aircraft, and was also surrounded by high buildings.

The current airport stands on 144 hectares of land and its runway is only 2.9 kilometers in length.

"Ideally, a standard international airport should have a more spacious area and its runway should be at least 4 kilometers," he said.

The company has bought 1,365 hectares of land in Kuala Namo, Deli Serdang, some 40 kilometers south of Medan, and has completed the plans for the new airport.

"All the land was acquired in 1997 and the area was fenced off in 2002. We also completed the first phase of the drainage works in 2004," he said.

Adi said that a number of construction companies, including ones from Singapore, Japan and France, had submitted bids for the project, which it is estimated will cost 13 trillion rupiah (1.3 billion US dollars).

Source: Xinhua