State-owned airport operators are preparing a mechanism to impose passenger service charges on airlines rather than on passengers following the issuance of a ministerial decree last week
tate-owned airport operators are preparing a mechanism to impose passenger service charges on airlines rather than on passengers following the issuance of a ministerial decree last week.
PT Angkasa Pura II spokesperson Achmad Syahir said on Monday that airport operators would first discuss with airlines how to follow up and implement the decree issued by the Transportation Ministry.
The decree stipulates that airport operators should no longer collect passenger service charges.
According to the decree, service charges should be included in ticket prices and airport operators would collect the charges from the airlines.
'We will soon discuss the plan with Angkasa Pura I as well as the airlines. We can't decide yet on when the policy will be imposed,' Achmad told reporters.
'However, we already got permission from the ministry and have sent notification letters to all airlines regarding the plan. It won't be long until we impose the policy,' he continued.
PT Angkasa Pura I manages airports in the eastern part of the country while Angkasa Pura II handles those in the western part.
According to Achmad, the policy was merely aimed at simplifying transactions for passengers and that it would not trouble any airline considering that national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and its subsidiary, low-cost carrier Citilink, have already applied such a system.
'With this new policy, passengers will no longer have to wait in line to pay service charges. It will be more efficient for passengers and airport operators,' Achmad said.
Tony Fernandes, group CEO of low-cost carrier AirAsia, separately said that the government and airport operators should review their policy on passenger service charges, saying that the high charges applied in airports across the country had hurt the aviation industry.
'In Indonesia's aviation industry, everyone is making money except the airlines,' Fernandes told reporters on the sidelines of the launch of the CIMB Niaga AirAsia BIG credit card in Jakarta on Monday.
'We tried to start international flights in Surabaya, Bandung and Medan etc, but the airport tax is so high. Airfares have to be low, otherwise people won't come. So we are pleading with the government to look at the whole aviation sector because I think it can be a very big sector and a profitable one,'
Fernandes said.
He also said that the government should immediately scrap the ceiling price policy to improve the performance of the country's airline industry.
'I think it has to go. I don't think you should control airline pricing. Ultimately, we want lower fares so we are not here to charge more,' Fernandes said.
'The majority of products in Indonesia have no ceiling price. But, why are domestic routes being controlled [by the government]? I hope and I am confident that the ceiling price will be removed,' he said.
According to Fernandes, AirAsia will not increase its airfares. 'I can assure you, our goal is to not raise fares,' he continued.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.