Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation has reported a 10 percent increase in air passenger traffic during the 2024/2025 Christmas and New Year (Nataru) holiday season compared to the previous year, according to reporting from Tempo.
Acting Director General of Air Transportation, Lukman F. Laisa, said that the total number of passengers recorded from December 18, 2024, to January 1, 2025, reached 3,875,032, an increase from the 3,515,855 passengers recorded during the same period in 2023/2024.
“A total of 3,015,813 passengers traveled domestically and 859,219 passengers embarked on international journeys,” Lukman said in a written statement released on Friday (3/1/25.) Domestic passenger movements were monitored across 56 airports, while international passenger traffic was observed at 17 airports, reports Tempo.
Domestically, Denpasar, Kualanamu, and Surabaya emerged as the most popular destinations. Internationally, Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia were the leading destinations for Indonesian travelers.
According to Tempo, the surge in air passenger traffic during the Nataru period was particularly evident for the national airline, Garuda Indonesia Group. Wamildan Tsani Panjaitan, President Director of PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk., reported a 24 percent increase in passenger numbers for both Garuda Indonesia and Citilink during the holiday season.
“Garuda Indonesia carried 38,992 passengers, while Citilink transported 38,560 passengers,” he said.
“The passenger increase was mainly driven by domestic flights. The Garuda Indonesia Group operated a total of 482 flights, including 44 extra flights, during the Christmas and New Year holiday period,” Wamildan added.
The Ministry of Transportation had previously reported a 2.6 percent increase in domestic air passenger movements from December 18 to 25, 2024, coinciding with the Christmas holiday period.
Budi Rahardjo, Head of the Ministry of Transportation’s Communication and Public Information Bureau, attributed this increase to the government’s 10 percent discount on domestic airfares, implemented for 16 days during the Nataru transportation period, says Tempo.
Source: Tempo
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