Jakarta. The Ministry of Transport plans to transfer operations of two airports currently under its management to state-owned airport operators in a move to allow more commercial management of domestic airports.

The ministry is set to allow Angkasa Pura I and its sister company Angkasa Pura II to choose among Radin Inten II in Lampung, Sentani Airport in Jayapura or the Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo.

Suprasetyo, air transport director general at the ministry, said that government plans to unload more airports to the airports operators in the future, but government would do it "in stages."

Currently. the airports are operated by the transport ministry's technical operative unit, a status that curbs flexibility in pursuing commercial or service expansion as it is bound to funding from the state budget.

Aiport management is among the business fields the government has opened up to investment from foreigners. Foreign investors can now own up to 67 percent of local airport operators, although not the airport itself, but requires them to tie cooperation with a local company.

Suprasetyo said the airports offered to the companies, known as AP I and AP II, all have relatively developed infrastructure but the companies would need to set aside large investment to fund further development.

Djoko Murjatmodjo, the technical and operation director at AP II, said the company is interested in taking over operations at Raden Inten II in Lampung to serve as a transit hub in order to ease traffic density at the Soekarno Hatta International Airport.

The company also set an eye on Hanandjoeddin Airport in Bangka Belitung, as it keen to tap into growing tourism in the island province.

"In Indonesia there are many airlines that are still growing; Lampung and Tanjung Pandan could become large airports. We are sure and see the potential market," Djoko said.

Lampung airport now serves 1.3 million annually while the Belitung airport cater to less than 1 million a year. Djoko said that AP II applied for operation of the two airports, but have not yet received answer from the government.