Rule for subsidised airfreight planned
THE INDONESIAN Transportation Ministry’s director-general for air transportation, Suprasetyo, has said the government is revising a presidential regulation on subsidised cargo so that it will also apply to air freight.
The regulation currently only applies to scheduled sea transportation.
The effort is related to the government’s “air highway” initiative for aircraft to carry staple goods to remote places, such as the cities of Puncak and Ilaga in Papua province.
“We will decide on the kind of goods that we will transport and the form of subsidy and other things,” Suprasetyo said on Thursday, adding that the subsidy would likely go toward the freight cost.
The ministry reiterated that the air-freight operation would commence this year.
Previously, Tengku Burhanuddin, secretary-general of the Indonesian National Air Carriers Association, said the association saw promising potential in the air-highway programme. “If the government helps with the cost, it is interesting for INACA,” he said.
