ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – The Ministry of Transportation is starting to encourage the development of water airports as an alternative for ferry transportation in Indonesia, including tourism.
To support this, the Ministry of Transportation has conducted a seaplane flight trial at Mertasari Beach, Bali on Thursday, June 20 2024. The seaplane flight trial was carried out as an effort to encourage the area around Denpasar, Bali to become the first seaplane hub in Indonesia which will then be connected with other potential locations.
This activity is the second trial that was previously carried out in 2021 on Gili Iyang Island, Sumenep, East Java. This seaplane trial is also a follow-up to the Transportation Policy Agency’s quick win activities in 2024 regarding Maritime Airports.
According to the Head of the Transportation Policy Agency of the Ministry of Transportation, Robby Kurniawan, water airports have potential and opportunities for Indonesia. Apart from being an alternative ferry transportation that connects provincial capitals or big cities with other cities, water airports can also be a link for tourists from airport hubs to water-based tourist destinations, as well as being a pioneering transportation node for islands and archipelago areas in particular in underdeveloped, frontier and outermost areas (3T).
“The operation of water and seaplane airports in archipelagic countries like Indonesia, apart from being an option to increase connectivity, can also be a new opportunity for regions in Indonesia to attract tourist interest and develop tourist destinations in the region,” said Robby in his official statement. , Friday, June 21 2024.
This year, the Transportation Policy Agency has carried out a policy analysis and feasibility study regarding the operation of a public water airport with a focus on the proposal in the form of a pilot project in the southern region of Bali which will then act as a hub. Based on a study conducted jointly with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Bali was chosen as the location for the pilot project because the number of domestic and foreign tourist visits is the highest in Indonesia. In 2018, Denpasar received 6 million tourist arrivals and it is projected that in 2024 there will be 6.6 million arrivals.
“Bali already has its own market share. “Currently the aviation industry in Bali is extraordinary, helicopter rental transportation is very developed and there are many people interested in it, so this seaplane could be an alternative,” said Robby.
Meanwhile, Head of the Center for Transportation Infrastructure Policy and Modal Integration and Chair of Seaplane Trials, Capt. Novyanto Widadi added that Indonesia could have new transportation alternatives. He also believes that seaplanes can provide a different experience in using transportation.
“Apart from ships as an option, seaplanes or seaplanes are the only alternative transportation that can combine water and air. “Seaplane is an alternative water transportation for Indonesia, which geographically is an archipelagic country,” he explained.
“Aquatic airports as the main supporting facilities for seaplane operations also have several advantages, including being efficient and environmentally friendly, having a combination of speed and flexibility, reducing land dependence, as a hub for remote areas and reducing air traffic saturation.”
Currently in Indonesia there are 5 sea airports (with special status), namely on Bawah Island, Pangpang Banyuwangi Bay, Kahayan River, Benette and Moyo Island. (AT Network)
Follow Us at Google News and WA Channel