State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I (AP I) and the local administration in Kulon Progo regency inaugurated on Monday Balai Pemberdayaan Masyarakat (Community Empowerment Center) to help those who are affected by the development of Yogyakarta International Airport.

The center is located beside the Yogyakarta International Airport Development Project Office at Kulon Progo.

The center will house several training programs to improve the skills and competencies of the local community in the hope of opening new job opportunities and reducing the area’s poverty rate. The training programs include tourism development and airport development. Previous programs, such as security training, are said to have produced new jobs in the sector.

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Spokesperson for the Yogyakarta International Airport project Agus Pandu Purnama said in a statement that the airport did not belong only to PT Angkasa Pura I or the government and it must be open to all sections of the community.

Meanwhile Kulon Progo Regent Hasto Wardoyo said the administration appreciated the effort and contribution provided by the operator. "Hopefully this center can be a solution and increase the competencies and skills of the affected residents to allow them to get new jobs and reduce unemployment rates in the regency," Hasto added. (anm/kes)