The minister will depart to Labuan bajo this Sunday afternoon to observe the progress of the development of port, airport and other transportation infrastructure
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi would visit Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara on Sunday, to observe progress on the construction of infrastructure in the region that has been set as one of five highly prioritized tourist destinations.

"The minister will depart to Labuan bajo this Sunday afternoon to observe the progress of the development of port, airport and other transportation infrastructure," the ministry's spokesman Hengki Angkasawan said.

The ministry has named Cardig Aero Service (CAS) consortium as winner of the bid on the development project of Komodo Airport, under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme with total investment worth Rp1,2 trillion and total operational cost estimated at Rp5.7 trillion.

The scheme is expected to reduce the burden for the state budget and could improve airport services, as one of the consortium member is the operator of Changi Airport in Singapore, he said.

The government has targeted the number of passengers in Komodo Airport to reach 4 million per year and cargo to 3,500 tons per year by 2024.

For Labuan Bajo Port, the existing port would be developed as a passenger terminal while the cargo terminal would be relocated to another site some 15 kilometers from the current port.

Development of the passenger port would include extension of piers from 245 meters to 300 meters, trestle from 44 meters to 134 meters, reclamation, and in the medium term the ministry would build a new passenger terminal.

Meanwhile, the multipurpose port that will be functioned as cargo and liquid bulk cargo will be built by state-run port operator PT Pelindo III (Persero), equipped with cargo and liquid bulk cargo terminals. The port is expected to dock up to 25,000 DWT vessels.

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Translator: Ahmad Wijaya, Sri Haryati
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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