The aviation industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic as travel restrictions and bans forced passengers to cancel trips.

To attract more passengers, Indonesian airlines have slashed airfares.

Low-cost carrier Sriwijaya Airlines and Nam Air, for instance, are offering a special price of Rp 170,000 (US$11.82) for all domestic routes for tickets purchased on Nov. 10 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

According to tempo.co, the special offer is one of airlines’ efforts to recover from the impact of the pandemic as well as to celebrate its 17th anniversary.

Moreover, low-cost carrier Citilink announced on Oct. 23 that it had cut fares by 10 to 15 percent for all flights departing from 13 airports, including Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, Kualanamu Airport in North Sumatra and I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, following the Transportation Ministry’s passenger service charge exemption.

The exemption is valid from Oct. 23 through Dec. 31.

“In line with the government’s program, we are committed to fully supporting the implementation of the stimulus program, which aims to encourage people to travel safely and comfortably, said Citilink president director Juliandra in a statement, as quoted by kompas.com.

Juliandra added that the program was among the efforts to help the local aviation industry recover from the pandemic.

Read also: Transportation Ministry provides $14.75m stimulus to boost aviation industry

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and low-cost carrier Lion Air reportedly have also reduced airfares.

Garuda Indonesia president director Irfan Setiaputra that the service tax exemption was a significant move to support the recovery of Indonesia’s aviation industry and would increase the public’s interest in air travel.

Statistics Indonesia data show that the number of domestic air passengers between January and August fell 56.99 percent year-on-year (yoy) to 21.6 million people. Meanwhile, the number of foreign air passengers in the same period plummeted 71.51 percent yoy to 3.5 million people.

Last month, the Transportation Ministry decided on a stimulus package worth Rp 216.5 billion for the aviation industry as part of a plan that includes a passenger service charge exemption and a subsidy aimed at cutting costs and boosting demand throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministry’s air transportation director general, Novie Riyanto, said that the stimulus package consisted of Rp 175.7 billion worth of service fee exemptions at 13 airports across Indonesia as well as Rp 40.8 billion worth of subsidies for a flight facility calibration fee. 

The passenger service charge exemption, a component of the flight ticket fee, means that passengers might be afforded lower ticket costs. (jes)

Editor’s note: This article is part of a public campaign by the COVID-19 task force to raise people’s awareness about the pandemic.