RI and Saudi Arabia expand cooperation in transport sector

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are committed to expand their cooperation in the transport sector by strengthening their partnership in the fields of aviation, maritime affairs, railways, safety investigations, and the development of transport human resources.

Indonesia's Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi conveyed the Indonesian government's commitment to continue strengthening and expanding transport sector cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Purwaghandi made the statement on Monday (July 13) during a meeting with Saudi Arabian Minister of Transportation and Logistics Services Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser at the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation Office.

According to a statement confirmed here on Tuesday, Purwagandhi fully supported the expansion, including Saudi's initiatives for several memorandum of understanding (MoUs) on safety investigations, maritime affairs, railways, and civil aviation.

He will deploy a technical team from his office to finalise those drafts promptly.

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In the air transport sector, the cooperation between the Indonesian and Saudi Arabia has been in place for quite some time, dating back to the signing of the Air Transport Agreement in 1988.

"Discussions on the air services between Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation and the Saudi's Ministry of Transportation and Logistics Services in June 2025 has resulted in a mutually beneficial agreement," Purwaghandi said.

One of the points agreed upon was the expansion of operational airports, including in Yogyakarta and Banda Aceh.

"The cooperation needs to be continued, considering that the demand for air travel from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia—vice versa—continues to show an increase," he added.

Purwagandhi also noted that an Indonesian airline carrier has increased its flight frequencies to Jeddah and Medina since December 2025.

"One important aspect is that we need to ensure fair and beneficial opportunities for the airlines of both countries, improve service quality, and maintain compliance with the regulations of each country," he noted.

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Translator: Harianto, Kenzu

Editor: Fransiska Ninditya

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