Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Thursday that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo intended to privatize several airports.

According to the Antara report, Luhut said the airports that could be privatized included the newly inaugurated Silangit International Airport in North Sumatra, the HAS Hanandjoeddin International Airport in Bangka Belitung and the one in Jakarta.

“'Those airports, Pak Luhut, just give [to the private sector]. Airports like Silangit, the ones in Jakarta and Bangka Belitung, just privatize [them] as long as the calculation is clear,'” Luhut quoted from his discussion with President Jokowi on Wednesday at the Presidential Palace.

Jokowi also informed him that Pakistan had just received a US$60 billion investment from China through the One Belt and One Road initiative, Luhut added.

Luhut said that the President also spoke of an airport in Islamabad, Pakistan, that was developed by China and would be named after Chinese President Xi Jinping.

While the concepts in Pakistan could not all be applied in Indonesia, he said the country could learn from Pakistan's “wisdom” in building a world-class airport.

“We will work on it, that is our spirit. We will make it so that the private sector will be vibrant,” said Luhut. He stressed that the public should not misunderstand the move, and that the airports' privatization did not mean the government was selling state assets.

"So let's say [private companies] managed the airports for 30 years and make a profit [...] After 30 years, the airports would become [the government's] again," he said. (bbn)