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Airlines, KAI ensure sufficient seats for Idul Fitri travelers
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Garuda Indonesia aircraft are seen at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten province. (Kompas/Agus Susanto)
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ajor airlines and the state railway operator have prepared hundreds of thousands of extra seats for Idul Fitri travelers this year, including accommodating their return journey after the long holiday is over.
National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, for instance, has added 29,290 more seats through its extra flights during this year’s Idul Fitri peak period of June 24 to July 17.
It is also providing 13 extra domestic flights to big cities, namely Yogyakarta, Padang, Semarang, Denpasar, Surabaya, Balikpapan, Bandung and Denpasar.
“Garuda Indonesia has seen a 23 percent increase in extra capacity this year compared to 2015,” Garuda Indonesia vice president of corporate communications Benny Siga Butarbutar said on Tuesday.
Other airlines have also prepared extra seating. Sriwijaya Air has added 191,000 extra seats, Indonesia AirAsia has added 5,600 extra seats and Citilink has added 16,800 extra seats.
“There is an increase in extra seats to 191,000 this year from 85,000 last year,” Sriwijaya Air Group senior manager corporate communications Agus Soedjono said.
In line with the airlines, state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II) is anticipating 500 extra flights between June 28 and July 7 at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport compared to regular days.
Meanwhile, state-owned railway operator PT KAI has added 14 extra trips to Yogyakarta, Central Java and East Java, as it prepares to see a 5 percent increase in the number of Idul Fitri travelers to 1.59 million in 2016, from 1.52 million last year.
KAI Jakarta spokesman Bambang Setyo Prayitno said the total number of train passengers from Jakarta on June 24 to July 4 stood at 390,607.
The government previously stated that it expected an increase in traveler volume to 26 million during this year’s Idul Fitri, from 20 million last year. (vps) (tas)
