The Ministry of
Transportation targeted Air Bridge or Air Toll program could be realized
starting in the mid of this year. This is to lower price disparity in
mountains districts located far from airport and sea port.

To make this program works effectively, the Ministry suggests a budget
revision for Air Toll from Rp. 22 billion to become Rp. 60 billion. The
budget will be used for air cargo pioneer transportation in Papua
province to operate to 11 (eleven) routes and air cargo transportation
to operate to 1 (one) route.

Currently the Ministry of Transportation is still waiting for regulation
for the Air Toll program as in President Regulation (Peraturan
Presiden/Perpres). Head of Non-Schedule Air Commerce and Non-Air
Commerce, the Directorate General of Air Transportation, Ubaedillah
expected this President Regulation will be soon released in two months.

The air toll program consists of air cargo pioneer transportation that
operate from regency to districts; or the coverage using airplane that
has less than 30 seats and subsidy of air cargo transportation that fly
from the capital of regency to other regencies using a one class
wide-body airplane as Boeing 737 freighter.

The air toll will be integrated with some ports that will be connected
with the Sea Toll program that the government is running today.

This year, the Ministry will have three airports as an air toll hub,
they are the Budget User Authorities (Kuasa Pengguna Anggaran/KPA) of
Timika, Wamena, and Dekai. There are 11 routes for air cargo pioneer
transportation this year that are expected to be able to support the
lowering commodities' prices like groceries in inland areas.

The eleven routes are from Timika to Beoga, Sinak, Ilaga and Keayam.
From Wamena to Mugi, Mapendumas, Mamit, and from Dekai to Anggruk,
Ubahak, Siliamo and Korupun.

Ubaedillah said, with the current available budget the pioneer air cargo
will be operated once a week. However, if the budget revision is
agreed in the Ministry of Finance so the Ministry of Transportation
plans to operate three times a week.

If the budget increase for Air Toll program is signed, the Ministry of
Transportation will operate the cargo airplane for Timika - Wamena
route.

After the President Regulation for Air Toll project is signed,
Ubaedillah continued, unbinding auction can be done soon by the three
KPAs as long as the local government is ready. Currently, the cargo
route of Timika - Wamena operated by PT Tri MG Intra Asia Airlines, PT
Trigana Air Service (commercial).

Besides Papua, the Ministry also plans air cargo pioneer transportation
for Sulawesi in 2018 from Masamba - Seko, and Masamba - Rampi. Then in
Kalimantan, the operation will be open from Tarakan to Long Bawan, and
Tarakan - Long Apung.