Angkasa Pura

Cargo Transportation Sector at AP II Airport Resilient, Still Growing Amid the Pandemic

AP II this year is transforming cargo services through the development of Cargo Village at Soekarno-Hatta Airport and Kertajati Airport

Jakarta - Air cargo is a sector that is able to survive and thrive in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At all PT Angkasa Pura II airports, cumulatively the volume of cargo transportation in 2021 will reach 859,330 tons, an increase of about 20.53% compared to 2020 of 712,990 tons.

Soekarno-Hatta Airport serves the most cargo transportation where in 2021 there will be 702,787 tons, or 81.78% of the total volume of cargo transportation at all AP II airports, which amount to 20 airports.

AP II President Director Muhammad Awaluddin said cargo transportation was one of the pillars of the air transportation sector which was facing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Flight traffic at AP II airport in general is still affected by the pandemic, where indeed we all have to limit long-distance travel to jointly prevent the spread of COVID-19. On the other hand, special cargo transportation continues to record positive performance because it is triggered by the growth of e-commerce.”

"The growth of cargo transportation is also driven by the readiness of AP II airports in capturing opportunities in the cargo sector, as well as close collaboration with all stakeholders so that all AP II airports are ready to respond to requests," Muhammad Awaluddin explained.

In line with the growth of cargo transportation, Muhammad Awaluddin said a number of passenger airlines even operate passenger planes to specifically transport cargo.

“There are airlines that operate passenger planes to specifically transport cargo. Cargo transported on flights can be loaded in the cabin or in the hull of the aircraft, "said Muhammad Awaluddin.

This positive trend of cargo transportation also occurred at Kertajati Airport, Majalengka, West Java.

On December 22, 2021, a special cargo airline, namely Asia Kargo Airlines, formerly known as Tri MG Airlines, made its inaugural special cargo flight at Kertajati Airport. The airline will carry out a total of 40 flights with a tonnage of around 500 tons per month at Kertajati Airport, where in the future it is targeted that the cargo can reach 1,000 tons per month for general cargo.

Muhammad Awaluddin said AP II would encourage other airports to be able to maximize the potential in the cargo transportation sector, including looking at opportunities for cargo transportation services using drones.

Cargo Village Development
Seeing the positive performance throughout 2021 in the midst of the pandemic, AP II is optimistic that cargo transportation will grow again in 2022.

Muhammad Awaluddin said the company projects that cargo transportation in 2022 can reach more than 1 million tons, an increase of about 23 percent compared to 2021.

"To achieve this target, of course, AP II airports must ensure the reliability of services and facilities in handling cargo transportation and strengthen collaboration with all stakeholders," said Muhammad Awaluddin.

As an effort to improve cargo management, AP II this year will also build a Cargo Village area at Soekarno-Hatta Airport and Kertajati Airport.

Currently, AP II together with the Investment Management Institute (LPI) or also known as the Indonesia Investment Authority (INA), which is a sovereign wealth fund from the country, are preparing a tender process for a strategic partnership for the development of Cargo Village at Soekarno-Hatta Airport.

"This Cargo Village signifies that the transformation of cargo services in Indonesia will also increase the competitiveness of Soekarno-Hatta Airport at the regional and global levels. Cargo Village Soekarno-Hatta Airport is equipped with state of the art technology and marks the start of a new and modern era in air cargo services in Indonesia," said Muhammad Awaluddin.

The development of Cargo Village at Soekarno-Hatta Airport is carried out on an area of ​​90 hectares or three times the existing cargo terminal. The capacity of this Cargo Village can handle 1.5 million - 2.2 million tons of cargo per year, or far from the existing cargo terminal capacity of 700,000 tons per year. Digitization is also implemented in every Cargo Village line to simplify and speed up various processes.

The Cargo Village area will also be built at Kertajati Airport, where this step is in line with the focus on developing Kertajati Airport to become a cargo service center and as an aircraft maintenance center (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul / MRO).