INDUSTRY.co.id - Jayapura- Management of PT. Sriwijaya Air is scheduled to increase the number of aircraft that will serve the flight routes in the region of Papua and West Papua, especially to areas that do not have a platform that can accommodate large-bodied aircraft.

"Five years into the future we will enter 5-6 aircraft to Papua, type Boeing 737-800 and ATR," said Sriwijaya Air Commercial Director Toto Nursatyo in Jayapura recently.

He said next month as a first step his side will bring in an ATR which will operate in Fakfak-Sorong-Raja Ampat-Kaimana-Sorong-Manokwari (West Papua).

He mentioned that now Sriwijaya Air Group includes nine aircraft to Papua with many flight routes. according to him his party network is full, so that Sriwijaya view Papua as a strategic area.

"In the future we will further develop because after we started 2010 operating in Papua, the development is good," he said.

Toto said last year the total number of passengers Sriwijaya Air Group reached 11.5 million people, especially for Papua only 25 percent, but in terms of revenue reached 35 percent of total revenue.

"Occupancy Papua itself reached 89 percent, this is higher than the average national occupancy which is only 86 percent," he said again.

He added that now his party has entered in six cities in Papua and West Papua, all of which have a base that can landed wide-bodied aircraft.

But it also wants to increase the frequency of flights with small aircraft to areas that do not have a ground that can not be landed by boeing.

"The routes we will explore are to Nabire, where, Fakfak, Raja Ampat, Wamena, Dekai, Tanah Merah, Oksibil," he said.