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Indonesian air traffic set to recover faster than expected
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A security officer rides a bicycle across the tarmac of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, during a routine patrol on Jan. 21, 2022 near the hangars of Garuda Maintenance Facility (GMF) AeroAsia. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
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ndonesian airlines have expressed optimism that passenger figures on domestic routes are on track to get back to the pre-pandemic level in the first quarter of 2024, nearly a year faster than previously estimated.
Indonesian National Aviation Association (INACA) secretary-general Bayu Susanto said the complete recovery of the domestic aviation industry, initially expected for late 2024, was now projected to take place as early as the first quarter of next year, assuming “the current trend persists”.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates released on Dec. 6 see the Asia Pacific (APAC) airline industry reaching the 2019 level in 2024.
Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded 52.56 million domestic flight passengers in 2022, which is 68.5 percent of the 76.68 million passengers transported in 2019.
“The challenges for the recovery of domestic routes [are] high interest rates, which impact the price for plane charters, the rupiah-dollar exchange rate and the high fuel price,” Bayu told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
He elaborated that airlines’ financial condition had been deeply impacted by the pandemic and that the effect was still felt until now, hampering the recovery.
He went on to say that the waiting line for aircraft maintenance and the slow movement of spare parts in supply chains also impacted the recovery pace.
