Minister Of Transportation Calls Ewer Airport A Central Point To Serve Passengers And Goods

Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi said Ewer Airport would function to serve transportation needs, especially for the people of Asmat Regency, South Papua.

As is known, Ewer Airport was just inaugurated by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), Thursday, July 6.

Ewer Airport will be a very strategic central point to serve passenger and freight flights, from and to larger airports such as Timika and Merauke as well as to smaller airports in the interior of Papua, he said in an official statement on Thursday.

Furthermore, Budi said, the development and development of transportation infrastructure in Asmat Regency is the government's commitment to equitable development throughout Indonesia, especially South Papua.

"This mill is quite adequate and safe for ATR aircraft, with a runway length of 1,650 m and passengers relatively coming and going from and to Ewer almost every day," he said.

Budi also expressed his appreciation to the parties working together to support the smooth development and service at Ewer Airport, including the TNI and Polri, DPR RI, Provincial Government, Regency Government and Provincial DPRD, as well as Regency DPRD in the South Papua Province area.

This includes the relevant Ministries and Institutions for synergies in planning this airport development program.

Previously, President Jokowi said connectivity or inter-regional, inter-regencies, between provinces, and between islands were important things that the government continues to improve.

"Consectivity can accelerate community and goods mobility and can open regional isolation so as to speed up logistics delivery," he said.

Jokowi hopes that the presence of Ewer Airport, which has been developed, can increase the economy and tourism potential in Asmat Regency.

"And we want the completion of Ewer Airport, we hope that the economy in Asmat and South Papua Regencies will generally increase," he added.

For your information, Ewer Airport is a class III airport that occupies an area of 49.83 hectares, in Agats District, Asmat Regency, South Papua Province.

The construction of Ewer Airport through the source of APBN financing starts from 2018 to 2022 with a total budget of IDR 287 billion.

Ewer Airport has a runway measuring 1,650 meters by 30 meters so that it can accommodate ATR 72-600 aircraft.

Meanwhile, a passenger terminal covering an area of 488 square meters that has an ethnic design that carries local local wisdom of local culture, can accommodate a capacity of up to 14,000 passengers per year.

Currently, Ewer Airport serves three flight routes, including Kamur-Ewer PP, Timika-Ewer PP, and Merauke-Ewer PP.

Air transportation services at Ewer Airport have been running regularly. Every week, there are four Timika-Ewer flights, three flights to Timika-Kaur and two Timika-Merauke flights.