TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government has opened a partnership with the Netherlands in the field of air transport. This follows the bilateral meeting between Presiden Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Dutch King Willem-Alexander at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Tuesday.

Head of the Transportation Ministry’s air transport director-general, Budi Prayitno, said the partnership will be in the form of business-to-business.

“As of B to B, there will be a partnership between Angkasa Pura and the Schiphol Airport in terms of Avsec capacity building,” said Budi to Tempo on Wednesday.

Currently, the two countries are in the midst of a partnership regarding Bintan Island’s airport development between NACO and Bintan Investment, which will further advance Indonesia’s airline industry technology.

Prior to this, the Indonesian and Dutch governments had signed the Air Service Agreement in 1990 which agrees on regular flight relations between both countries operated by Garuda Indonesia and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

One of the most monumental events in both the country’s partnership is the inaugural continental flight route by the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines which departed from Amsterdam in 1924.

FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA