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THE Southwest Papua provincial government and the Sorong, Domine Eduard Osok Airport (DEO) management have expressed the hope that the Sorong-China international route will be opened soon to increase exports and draw tourists.
The time is ripe for Southwest Papua to make a breakthrough by tapping all export potential through air transportation, acting governor of Southwest Papua, Muhammad Musa’ad, said here on Saturday.
“We have abundant commodity potential in Southwest Papua, but so far, the production is not here but brought to other regions to be processed and exported abroad,” he expounded.
The Transportation Minister’s Regulation Number 40 of 2024 states that domestic airports can operate international flights under four scenarios, namely for state visits, national events, economic improvement, and emergencies.
According to him, the regulation offers a great opportunity to open international flight services at DEO Sorong Airport. We can use it for the economic improvement, from there we can present international flights.
Therefore, he asked all related stakeholders to strengthen cooperation so that international flights to and from Southwest Papua could be realized. International flights are expected to have a positive impact on economic growth by supporting commodity exports.
“So, we do not have to change the status of this airport to be international to support international route flights because there is already the new regulation; so, we take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.
Meanwhile Head of DEO Airport management, Cece Tarya, informed that his side is prioritizing the opening of international flights based on the existing regulation.
“We have discussed this program with the Sorong Customs, Quarantine, and the Immigration department, and we will meet to discuss this plan again after Eid holidays. Direct international flights to Sorong could also support foreign tourist access,” he added. [antaranews/photo special]
