Jakarta, July 14: Indonesia has started the process to privatise two airports, including Bali's international airport, to raise money to plug this year's budget deficit, an official said on Monday.
The government is seeking to sell a 49 per cent stake each in Bali's Ngurah Rai airport and the Selaparang airport on the tourist island of Lombok to strategic investors.
The government opened applications on Monday for financial advisers and legal counsel for the privatisation process. Applications close on Friday.
The airports are 100 per cent owned by PT Angkasa Pura I, which operates 13 airports in Indonesia's east, said Purwanto, a member of the privatisation team for state-owned firms.
Indonesia has targeted to raise eight trillion rupiah ($973 million) for the 2003 budget from privatisation.
Earlier this month, the government said fears of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) slashed foreign tourist arrivals in Bali in May to the lowest level since December.
The predominantly Hindu island was recovering from last October's devastating bomb attacks on a nightclub strip that killed 202 people when the SARS virus hit Asia earlier this year.
The island relies heavily on tourism and contributes 35 per cent to Indonesia's $5.4 billion annual tourism revenue. Bureau Report