Once the COVID-19 vaccine is found, flight routes used to distribute the vaccine all over Indonesia will become very vitalJakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Transportation Ministry is in the process of charting out flight routes for distributing the COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes available for mass immunization.
“Once the COVID-19 vaccine is found, flight routes used to distribute the vaccine all over Indonesia will become very vital,” director general of air transportation at the Transportation Ministry, Novie Riyanto, said at an online public dialogue, held to mark National Transportation Day, here on Thursday.
The flight routes will also function as air toll to curb price disparities, he remarked.
“We also have a grand program to eliminate price disparities, particularly those related to basic necessities. We continue to upgrade the program,” he added.
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He said the Directorate General of Air Transportation will cooperate with operators of other transportation modes in the country to distribute the vaccine and basic necessities.
The program has been incorporated in the master plan for cargo connectivity for which 11 airports will be designated as cargo airports. Five of them will cooperate under the Asean Open Sky Agreement (2009 dan 2010).
The international airports which will be used for cargo services include Kualanamu in Medan, SM Badaruddin II in Palembang, Hang Nadim in Batam, Soekarno-Hatta in Tangerang/Jakarta, Juanda in Surabaya, Supadio in Pontianak, Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman in Balikpapan, Sultan Hasanuddin in Makassar, I Gusti Ngurah Rai in Denpasar, Sam Ratulangi in Manado, and Frans Kaisiepo in Biak.
Four airports will be designated as cargo hubs for the eastern parts of Indonesia. They are -- Sultan Hasanuddin, I Gusti Ngurah Rai, Sam Ratulangi, and Frans Kaisiepo, with I Gusti Ngura Rai serving as a national cargo super hub and Soekarno-Hatta as a cargo village.
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Translator: Juwita Trisna Rahayu/Suharto
Editor: Sri Haryati
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