Indonesia Braces For Busy Holiday Air Travel

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- Indonesia is gearing up for a bustling holiday season, with over five million people expected to pass through the country’s airports during Christmas and New Year, as airlines scramble to accommodate the surge in demand.

The Transport Ministry has reminded travellers to expect packed terminals and longer queues, with Dec 21 projected as the peak Christmas departure day and Jan 3  to 4 as the main return wave.

“Passenger traffic is expected to rise seven per cent from last year, reaching 3.89 million domestic and 1.15 million international travellers,” Civil Aviation Director-General Lukman F. Laisa said in a statement.

To manage demand, the government and airlines have introduced temporary fare incentives, including value-added tax (VAT) discounts on economy tickets, reduced airport service charges and lower fuel surcharges at 37 airports.

Discounts apply to tickets bought between Oct 22 and Jan 10, covering travel from Dec 22 to Jan 10.

The civil aviation authority has projected a need for 326 aircraft, comprising 286 jets and 40 propeller planes to handle the surge.

Lukman said airlines are working to maximise capacity, with 366 of Indonesia’s 560 aircraft currently in operation while the rest undergo maintenance, leaving major carriers such as Lion Air (97 aircraft), Garuda Indonesia (81), and Wings Air (77) to shoulder the load.

Main gateways including Soekarno-Hatta in Jakarta, Ngurah Rai in Bali, Sultan Hasanuddin in Makassar, Kualanamu in Medan, and Juanda in Surabaya are preparing for heavy passenger movements, particularly on routes to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

He added that the authority’s Christmas and New Year monitoring post will operate from Dec 18 to Jan 4, 2026, overseeing operations at 257 airports across the country.

-- BERNAMA