30th August 2022 – The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, said that airfare drops by 15 percent now. He also said that the airfare drop is a breath of fresh air for the tourism industry.
This is due to the effort and hard work of the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN). Uno and his team greatly appreciate the effort and hope that several airlines can increase the number of planes and routes ahead of the holiday season or peak season.
“Airlines have been rapidly increasing their aircraft from Garuda Indonesia, Citilink, Lion Air, to a variety of international airlines too. So, we hope that the price of plane tickets will be more affordable during the peak season and the end of the year,” said Uno.
Uno also encouraged the addition of new flight routes. According to him, the increase in airfare that happened for quite a long time has the potential to reduce tourist visits.
“We have to avoid this, and I hope that this can be the momentum for our (tourism) revival. Now, those who want to do healing or refreshing will not be difficult,” he said.
The Special Staff for the BUMN, Arya Sinulingga, revealed that his team has collaborated with one of the state-owned banks, PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, in an effort to push flight ticket price affordability.
With this collaboration along with Garuda Indonesia, flight tickets will be much cheaper if purchased using BNI credit cards.
Despite the State Capital Investment (PMN) of IDR 7,5 trillion for Garuda Indonesia has yet to be reimbursed, the BUMN is working with the PPA or the Asset Management Company in order for Garuda Indonesia can lease 10 to 14 new planes.
“The first step is to add more aircraft. This is why there is an MOU between PPA and Garuda Indonesia so that the airline can lease 10-14 new planes. Once the PMN comes in, it can add more routes so the more aircraft is in, the cheaper the [flight] tickets are,” Sinulingga said.
