TRANSPORTATION MINISTRY TO SUPPORT SAIL BANDA WITH 10 BUSES

Ambon, March 6 (ANTARA) - The Transportation Ministry will support the upcoming Sail Banda 2010 with 10 buses, Maluku Transportation Office chief Benny Gaspersz said.

"I have just arrived from Jakarta to manage the procurement of ten buses to support the upcoming international marine event scheduled for July to August this year," Gaspersz said on Saturday.

Gaspersz admitted that the buses with a capacity of 28 seats each were needed for transportation in Ambon during the international marine event.

He said the transportation ministry in 2008 provided Maluku province with a number of buses but they had been distributed to several districts and municipalities in the province.

"Therefore we proposed 25 buses but Transportation Minister Freddy Numbery decided to province Maluku with only ten buses to support Sail Banda," Gaspersz said.

Maluku's transportation office had also asked the government to increase the capacity of the passenger terminal in Banda in Central Maluku district, and to repair the access road to the Yos Sudarso port in Ambon.

"We hope the increase of the passengers terminal capacity in Banda and repairs of the access road to Yos Sudarso port in Ambon will be realized soon because Sail Banda is three months away from now," Gaspers said.

Asked about once-a-week flights from Ambon to Banda by Merpati airplanes, Gaspersz said coordination has been made with PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines to increase the frequency to at least twice a week.

"We have also asked Merpati to operate new aircraft to serve Jakarta-Ambon flights," Gaspersz said, quoting Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu as saying that Garuda was scheduled to conduct Jakarta-Ambon flights starting June this year.

He said Garuda had since 2009 actually asked for flights to Pattimura International Airport in Ambon, and thus it was expected to be realized soon before the Sail Banda event from July to August this year.