Air cargo becomes a sector that is able to endure during the Covid-19 pandemic. At all airports under PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero) / AP II, cumulatively, the volume of cargoes in 2021 reached 859,330 tons or increase around 20.53% compared with 2020 for 712.990 tones.

The Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) is the airport that handles many cargoes, wherein 2021 recorded 702,787 tonnes, or 81.78% of the total volume of cargo transportation at 20 airports under Angkasa Pura II.

President Director of PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero) Muhammad Awaluddin said the cargo transportation is the one that supports air transportation sector that is facing challenges (difficulties) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The flight traffics at Angkasa Pura II’s airports, generally, are affected by the pandemic, which people limits their long-distance travels to avoid the spread of Covid-19. On the other side, the special cargo transportation still records positive performance as it is triggered by e-commerce growth.”

“The growth of cargo transportation is also supported by the readiness of Angkasa Pura II ‘s airports in getting the opportunities in the cargo sector, and close collaboration with all stakeholders so that all Angkasa Pura II ‘s airports are ready to respond when there’s a request,” said Muhammad Awaluddin.

In line with the growth of cargo transportation, Muhammad Awaluddin said some commercial (passengers) airlines even operate commercial (passenger) airplanes to carry cargoes.

“There are some airlines that use commercial (passenger) aiplanes to carry cargoes. The cargoes can be loaded inside the cabin or inside the fuselage,” said Muhammad Awaluddin.

The positive trend of the cargo transportation also happens at the Kertajati International Airport (KJT), Majalengka, West Jawa.

On 22 December 2021, a cargo airline, Asia Cargo Airlines did their first flight special for cargo at Kertajati Airport. The airlines will do 40 flights and carry about 500 tons per month, and the target ahead is to reach 1,000 tons of cargoes per month for general cargoes.

Muhammad Awaluddin said Angkasa Pura II will push other airports to maximize their potential in cargo transportation sector including, one of them, to see the opportunity of cargo transportation using a drone.

The Development of Cargo Village

Seeing through the positive performance in 2021 in the middle of the pandemic, Angkasa Pura II is optimistic the cargo transportation will grow in 2022. Muhammad Awaluddin said the company projected the cargo transport in 2022 can achieve more than 1 million tons or increase around 23% compared with 2021.

“To reach the target, Angkasa Pura II airports must make sure the reliability of services and facilities in handling cargo transportation and to strengthen the collaboration with all stakeholders,” said Muhammad Awaluddin.

And as an effort to bring the cargo management better, Angkasa Pura II will build the Cargo Village zone this year at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport and Kertajati Airport. Currently, Angkasa Pura II and Investment Management Agency (Lembaga Pengelola Investasi or LPI) or known as Indonesia Investment Authority (INA), sovereign wealth fund from Indonesia, are preparing the tender process for a strategic partnership as to develop the Cargo Village at Soekarno-Hatta Airport.

“The Cargo Village is to sign the transformation of cargo services in Indonesia will also improve the Soekarno-Hatta Airport competitiveness regionally as well as globally. Soekarno-Hatta’s Cargo Village is facilitated with state of the art technology and signs the start of the new era and modern services of air in Indonesia,” said Awaluddin.

The building of Soekarno-Hatta’s Cargo Village is done on 90 hectares or three folds of the existing cargo terminal. The capacity of Cargo Village can accommodate 1.5 million - 2.2 million tons of cargo per annum or more than the capacity of the existing cargo terminal which is 700,000 tons per annum. Digitalization is also implemented in every line of Cargo Village to ease and speed several processes.

Meanwhile, Cargo Village that is also built at Kertajati Airport will be in accordance with the focus of the airport development to become the cargo service hub and as aircrafts maintenance or MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul).