Tanjung Selor Airport Resumes ATR 72 Flights

Tanjung Selor, North Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Tanjung Harapan Airport in Tanjung Selor, Bulungan Regency, North Kalimantan (Kaltara), has resumed flights using ATR 72 aircraft on the Tanjung Selor (TJS)-Balikpapan (BPN) route. Starting Thursday, Wings Air from the Lion Air Group has launched direct return flights from Tanjung Harapan Airport to Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan International Airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan (Kaltim). “Praise be to God, today in Bulungan Regency, especially with the return of Wings Air. Thank you to the Lion Air Group,” said Bulungan Regent Syarwani at Tanjung Harapan Airport in Tanjung Selor, Bulungan, Kaltara, on Thursday. Syarwani is optimistic that these flights will continue and hopes the service, currently limited to three times a week, can be increased. “Hopefully, there can be daily flights from Tanjung Selor to Balikpapan,” he hoped. Meanwhile, Lion Group’s Corporate Communications Strategic Danang Mandala Prihantoro stated that travel to Tanjung Selor is no longer limited. “As the capital of North Kalimantan Province and the administrative centre of Bulungan Regency, Tanjung Selor is now more broadly connected through the Tanjung Selor-Balikpapan flight route,” he said. The presence of this route, he added, opens new access for the people of Bulungan, Tidung Land, and surrounding areas to connect with various major cities in Indonesia. Flights depart from Balikpapan at 09:00 WITA and from Tanjung Selor to Balikpapan at 10:45 WITA, continued Danang, serviced by ATR 72 aircraft with a capacity of 72 economy class seats, designed to provide comfort and efficiency in connecting strategic regions. “This aircraft is very suitable for supporting inter-city connectivity with geographical characteristics like those in Kalimantan,” he said. Head of the Tanjung Harapan Class III Airport Organiser Unit Office (UPBU), Hengki, said that with support from the North Kalimantan Provincial Government and Bulungan Regency Government, the Balikpapan-Tanjung Selor return flights have resumed. “As the flight operator, I am more enthusiastic and hope that aviation in Tanjung Selor will advance further,” he said. He mentioned that the inaugural flight from Balikpapan to Tanjung Selor, flight number IW1358, carried 21 passengers, and from Tanjung Selor to Balikpapan, flight number IW1359, carried 46 passengers. “For the inaugural flight, this is already extraordinary, especially in the coming days,” said Hengki. He also emphasised the importance of local government support in maintaining ticket price stability, so that the three-times-a-week flights can become daily. He hopes this new flight service on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays can continue to exist with support from local governments, the business world, and the general public who utilise air transportation services from Tanjung Harapan Airport. “I invite and urge everyone to use aircraft or air transportation through Tanjung Selor so that we can advance and develop together to enliven Tanjung Selor,” he urged.