State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I plans to acquire Labuan Bajo Airport, located in the bustling tourism center of East Nusa Tenggara. The airport is currently owned by the Transportation Ministry.

Angkasa Pura I president director Danang S Baskoro said the firm had been in talks with the ministry on the acquisition before the asset is to be revamped to an international airport to cater to more tourists.

“The acquisition is targeted for this year,” he told a media gathering on Monday evening.

AP I and the ministry, he further said, were also in negotiations on the acquisition of four more airports owned by the latter. These are Sentani in Papua; Juwata in Tarakan, North Kalimantan; Mutiara in Palu, Central Sulawesi; and Syukuran Aminuddin Amir in Luwuk, Central Sulawesi.

Labuan Bajo is one of 10 destinations the government is prioritizing for tourism development until 2019 in a bid to create what the government campaign calls  “10 new Balis.” Labuan Bajo Airport needs to be renovated and expanded to achieve the status of an international airport.

The other nine destinations in the ‘10 New Balis’ program are Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi, Morotai in Maluku, Tanjung Lesung in Banten, Tanjung Kelayang in Belitung, Bromo-Tengger-Semeru in East Java, Thousand Islands in Jakarta, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Borobudur in Central Java and Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara.

Only four of the 10 destinations are located near international airports, namely Borobudur, Mandalika, Lake Toba and Tanjung Kelayang. (ags)

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