"We hope our friends will lift their blockade so that avtur supply to Timika airport will not be disturbed," the company`s president director and CEO, Armando Mahler, said at a video conference with reporters in Kuala Kencana, here on Wednesday.
He admitted that in the past three days supply of avtur to meet the needs of flights from Amamapare port site to Mozes Kilangin airstrip in Timika had totally stopped.
In connection with the depleting supply of avtur to Timika airport, PT Freeport would send official letters to all flight operators in Timika to inform them about it.
If the conditions continued, he said, PT Freeport, would prioritize internal transportation of employees while flight service for the public would be re-opened only after supply was restored.
Armando said the road section between Amamapare port site and Timika and Tembagapura is vital not only for PT Freeport operations but also for the people in Timika.
Due to depleting supply PT Freeport has limited avtur distribution to flight operators to a minimum level.
"Until now distribution to flight operators has not yet been stopped. What is being done is each operator is calculating its minimum needs," head of air transportation of the transportation, communication and information service of Mimika, John Rettob, said.
He said the avtur stock in Timika airport is now only enough for 13 days of minimum needs of operators of commercial and feeder flights to inland regions.
He hoped in the next few days there would be additional supply to meet the needs for 18 days from now five days.
"We sincerely hope in the next 18 days conditions would be normal. If not, supply will really run out. But we do not know what the future holds," he said.
If avtur supply to Timika airport stopped and stock ran out John said feeder service to inland regions in Papua would still be prioritized but commercial flights using wide-bodied aircraft like those of Garuda and Merpati would certainly be diverted especially from western regions like Jakarta, Denpasar and Makassar to the eastern regions. (T.E015/H-YH/HAJM/S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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