We have to determine which airport can become an international hub
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Eight international airports in Indonesia can potentially become a hub and super hub for revolutionizing the country's tourism and aviation industries, according to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

"I record eight international airports -- Ngurah Rai Airport (Bali), Soekarno-Hatta (Banten), Kualanamu (North Sumatra), Jogjakarta, Balikpapan (East Kalimantan), Hassanudin (South Sulawesi), Sam Ratulangi (North Sulawesi), and Juanda (East Java) -- that have the potential to become the hub and super hub," President Jokowi stated during a limited meeting on the merger of state-owned companies in the aviation and tourism sectors at the Merdeka Palace here on Thursday.

The government is gauging the possibility of merging state firms in the aviation and tourism for ushering in improvements in the two sectors.

Jokowi urged his aides to conduct an evaluation of the airports that hold potential to become hub and super hub airports in accordance with the geographical position and regional characteristics.

"We have to determine which airport can become an international hub," he noted.

The president affirmed that the number of international airports in Indonesia were far more than those in other countries. Currently, the country has 30 international airports.

"Do we need that many? Other countries I think did not do this. We can see that nine percent of the traffic was centered at only four airports in Soekarno Hatta, Ngurah Rai, Juanda, and Kualanamu," Jokowi noted.

Tourism and aviation are the two sectors that have borne the maximum brunt of the economic contraction in the second quarter of 2020.

Only 482 thousand tourists had visited Indonesia during the period, or an 81-percent drop from that recorded during the corresponding period in 2019 and 87 percent year-on-year.

"The contraction was very deep. However, I think the decline can be used as a momentum for consolidation and transformation in the tourism and aviation sectors by streamlining the management of flight routes, determining hub and super hub airports, and evaluating the possibility of merging state firms in tourism and aviation industries," Jokowi stated.
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Translator: Indra AP, Sri Haryati
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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