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tate owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II (AP II) is going to collaborate with national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia to include the passenger service charge (PSC) or airport tax in the cost of airline tickets next month.

AP II president director Tri Sunoko said the collaboration is aimed at accelerating passenger traffic in the country’s main gateway, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Banten, just west of Jakarta.

“Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is very crowded and we realize that we have to do something about it, apart from the ongoing expansion project. By including the passenger service charge in tickets, we can reduce lines at the airport,” Tri said.

AP II picked Garuda for the pilot project because it was the airline most able to immediately implement the new system. “Garuda is able to immediately implement the new system because they have an IT system that can easily be synchronized with our system,” he said.

Contacted separately, Garuda Indonesia vice president communications Pujobroto said the synchronization of its IT system and AP II’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport system had been underway for the past two months.

“We have to make sure that the integration of our system with the airport’s is in line with the International Air Transport Association standard, because we want to deliver the best service to our customers,” Pujobroto told The Jakarta Post.

He said that Garuda was proud to be the first company to implement the system at Soekarno-Hatta, and it has been preparing its IT system integration in all commercial airports across the country.

The airline has communicated its plan of including the PSC or airport tax with the other state owned airport company, Angkasa Pura I.

“We want to provide fast service and convenience to our customers through this system. We are working on the integration process step by step,” he said.  

In addition, Tri Sunoko said that all domestic carriers have committed to integrating their IT system to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport’s. By the end of 2013, PSC would have been included in all airline tickets in the Cengkareng airport.

Privately owned Sriwijaya Air is one of the airlines that is ready to follow in Garuda’s footsteps.

“We are ready to implement the new system because we believe it will improve service,” Sriwijaya Air senior corporate communications manager, Agus Soedjono, said in a message.

Tri said that all AP II airports nationwide, such as: Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung, West Java; Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport in Palembang, South Sumatra, and Minangkabau International Airport in Padang, West Sumatra would start implementing the new system in 2014.

He said this plan was a part of AP II’s efforts to become a world-class airport operating company.

Previously, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan urged airport operators and airline companies to include the airport tax in the tickets to help reduce queues at airports by 50 percent.

Dahlan called paying airport tax in booths at the airport a “primitive action”, and one that does not suit a country like Indonesia.