At 04.00, Cabinet Secretary Teddy and Social Affairs Minister Dispatch 65 Tonnes of Aid to NTT
At exactly 04.00 WIB on Wednesday (19/8), Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya dispatched five Indonesian Air Force aircraft carrying 65 tonnes of logistics for communities affected by the earthquake in NTT from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport.
Teddy arrived at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base Operations around 03.30 WIB. He was accompanied by Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul), Deputy Social Affairs Minister Agus Jabo Priyono, Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base Commander Air Vice Marshal Ali Gusman, and Air Force Transport Group 1 Commander Air Vice Marshal I Gusti Putu Setia Darma.
Before the departure, Teddy, together with Gus Ipul and the entourage, inspected the heavy transport aircraft Airbus A400M Atlas with tail number A-4001. They entered the aircraft body to ensure the aid had been loaded and was ready to be flown to NTT.
“On the instruction of the President, today, the fifth day after the disaster, 19 August 2026 at 04.00 in the morning, five aircraft are again dispatched to NTT. Today they carry a total of 65 tonnes of logistics,” Teddy was quoted as saying on Wednesday (19/8/2026).
According to Teddy, aid delivery by air has been carried out continuously since the first day of the disaster. In the initial shipment, 27 tonnes of logistics were flown. By the fifth day, the total aid transported had reached 253 tonnes.
The aid includes food, drinks, tents, health supplies, and various other needs of the affected communities.
To accelerate distribution, the government has established two main command posts, in Labuan Bajo and Maumere. The Labuan Bajo post serves as the distribution point for the Manggarai, West Manggarai, East Manggarai, and Ngada regions. Meanwhile, from Maumere, aid is pushed towards Sikka, Ende, Nagekeo, and other areas in need.
“All logistics are pushed to these areas using air routes via helicopters and Cassa aircraft, then by sea and land routes,” Teddy said.
By sea, three Indonesian Navy warships are already in the affected area and one hospital ship will soon join. Meanwhile, according to a report from the Ministry of Public Works, land routes to the affected areas have been passable since the second day after the disaster.
Teddy said the government has also reinforced personnel on the ground. As of Wednesday morning, nearly 10,000 TNI and Polri personnel are on Flores Island, both personnel previously stationed in the region and additional forces brought in from outside Flores.
The government, Teddy said, continues to monitor the entire handling process so that aid does not stop at the command posts but immediately reaches the communities in need.
“The government continues to monitor disaster management there so that the implementation of the response can proceed quickly and all logistics can be received by the community as soon as possible,” he said.
Before leaving the location, Teddy expressed appreciation to all elements involved in the disaster response, from officials and volunteers to the community.
“Thank you to all officials on duty, to the residents, to the volunteers, to everyone who has helped in this disaster response so that logistics can be delivered as quickly as possible and their benefits can be felt as soon as possible by the affected residents. Let us pray together,” Teddy said.