Support Connectivity, Ministry Of Transportation Improves Pioneer Air Transport Services In 3TP Regions

Pioneer Aircraft (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Transportation)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Transportation through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation supports inter-regional connectivity by improving pioneering air transportation services for remote, frontier, lagging, and border areas (3TP).

Air Transport Director Putu Eka Cahyadhi said the improvement of pioneering air transportation services in the 3TP area is a concern this year. This is because pioneer transportation is very much needed.

"Many areas whose accessibility is still difficult because there is no availability of other modes of transportation, long travel times, non-sustainable operational schedules, so pioneer air transportation is urgently needed to support equitable development and decrease price disparities, especially in 3TP areas," he said in an official statement, Thursday, February 23.

Putu explained, the Directorate General of Hubud has two programs, namely pioneering air transportation for passengers and cargo pioneer air transportation with a 2023 budget allocation of IDR 500.18 billion.

Furthermore, Putu explained that the budget will be allocated to serve 21 Regional Coordinators (Korwil), with the number of pioneering air transportation routes 220 passenger routes, 40 cargo pioneer routes, and 1 cargo air route with flight operator PT. Asi Pudjiastuti Aviation, PT. National Global Aviation, PT. Asian One Air, PT. Smart Cakrawala Aviation, PT. Semuwa Aviasi Mandiri and Trigana Air Service.

For the implementation of subsidized cargo pioneer air transportation (40 routes) and cargo air transportation (1 route) known as the Air Bridge spread across 6 Korwil, namely Tarakan, Masamba, Dekai, Timika, Oksibil, and Tanah Merah.

The cargo transportation mechanism starts from the Sea Toll Road to the storage warehouse, then it is sent by land (Damri) to the cargo warehouse at the airport. After that, it is distributed using a plane to the airport or airport in the 3TP area," he said.

According to Putu, to run the pioneering air transportation program is certainly not easy. There are many challenges faced, such as the limited resources of humans who have special qualifications in remote areas or mountainous areas, limited number of aircraft, security and technical conditions of the airport, and including natural factors such as bad weather and natural disasters.

"Although there are many challenges, thanks to collaboration and synergy with the relevant Ministries/Institutions, as well as the support of the Regional Government and the security of the TNI/Polri for the sustainability of pioneering air transportation flight operations," he explained.

The realization of passenger pioneering air transportation flights in 2022 reached 99.7 percent and for cargo pioneer flights it reached 98 percent.

"The realization of flights that do not reach 100 percent is usually caused by several obstacles such as bad weather, security aspects and the availability of goods," he said.

Based on data from the Ministry of Trade on price disparities has a positive impact. For example, in North Luwu Regency, there was a 46.15 percent decrease in cooking oil prices using the air bridge program, which was originally priced at IDR 65,000 per liter to IDR 35,000 per liter.

"In the future, it is hoped that this program will continue to run to open 3TP regional isolation, increase equitable development, and suppress price disparities so that it can improve people's standard of living and welfare," he concluded.