At Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman (SAMS) International Airport Sepinggan, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, the movement of passengers, flights, and cargoes during the 2017 Eid-ul Fitri are on the opposite. If the passenger and flight activities were even weak, but not in the third world rank  airport in 2017 based on ACI (Airport Council International)   version, the international cargo activities were increasing. The Operation Manager of PT Angkasa Pura 1, Sepinggan Airport’s branch, Kus Hendratno said, generally the cargo volume at the Sepinggan Airport increased significantly. Different from the arrival and departure flights that decreased up to 20 per cent. He said the incoming international cargoes increased up to 104 per cent. In the previous year was only 69,533 kgs , and became 142,038 kgs. The figures was achieved  during the Eid-ul Fitri’s going-home and going-back moments And the volume of outgoing international cargoes increased to 39 per cent. In 2016 was 38,832 kgs and increased to 54,105 kgs.

He said, the international cargoes increased because there was a special International cargo. The flights from Singapore are mostly cargoes like oil and gas industry spare parts. “If we see the international cargo activities, it seems the oil and gas activities are rising again. There was a party who provided special carriers for cargoes through My Indo Airlines and Tri MG Intra Asia Airlines,” he explained.

The flights of the two airlines, each operated only once a day and could carry cargoes for 10-17 tons. It depended on the type of carriers, like Boeing 200 and Boeing 400 series. There were more, he said, there was a company wanted to charter a flight themselves for their international cargo activities. For example, Pertamina who brought in oil and gas spare parts through cargo via air transportation.

“Overall, the cargoes  experienced increase, but the numbers of passengers and international flights were not big yet. In a week, there were only 3 (three) times international flight. Nevertheless, the international cargo flew every day,” Kus explained.

He said, the international cargo volume record was so much different with domestic cargo  activities record that experienced decrease during the 2017 Eid-ul Fitri’s. Kus said, during the Eid-ul Fitri, the incoming domestic cargoes experienced decrease once. Even though, the figure was not far from 1,388,232 kgs to become 1,354,437 kgs, only minus 2 per cent. Then, for the outgoing volume decreased up to 19 per cent from 834,195 kgs in 2016. Then, in 2017 changed to become 674,144 kgs.

As information, the total of one-day cargo traffic at cargo  terminal at the Sepinggan Airport are 135 tons. With the detail of incoming domestic cargo for 90 tons, and incoming International cargoes for 5 tons. Meanwhile, the outgoing domestic cargoes were 35 tons, and outgoing international cargoes were 5 tons. The numbers of incoming cargoes were more because they meet the market’s requirements, especially those from Jakarta and Surabaya.