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tate-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura I (AP I) would be collaborating with the largest domestic budget airline, Lion Air, to further develop facilities in four airports across the country, a senior official said Thursday.

AP I president director, Tommy Soetomo, said the airports earmarked for the improvements were: Frans Kaisiepo Airport in Biak, West Papua; Lombok International Airport in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara; Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, North Sulawesi; and Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

“The collaboration will include constructing hangar and aircraft maintenance facilities for Lion Air,” Tommy said on the sidelines of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport’s ground-breaking ceremony in Jakarta on Thursday.

He refused to elaborate on the collaboration, however, as a full announcement is planned to take place next week. “This is going to be a positive joint venture with one of the best airlines in the country,” he said.

Contacted separately, Lion Air’s general affairs director, Edward Sirait, confirmed that Rusdi Kirana, the airline’s president director, was scheduled to officially announce the move in Jakarta. Previously, Lion had stated that Manado would become the airline’s hub for eastern Indonesia.

The company’s full-service carrier, Batik Air, plans to open international routes connecting Manado with major cities in Southeast Asia and East Asia in 2014. The new routes will link Manado with Manila in the Philippines; Seoul in South Korea; and Tokyo in Japan.