Airlines add 320 flights for holidays

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 12/22/2010 10:36 AM

Banking on a lucrative holiday season, Indonesian airlines have scheduled an extra 320 flights, with many of those serving popular tourist destinations, particularly Bali.

“Several airlines have informed us that they will run additional flights to serve more passengers during the Christmas and New Year period,” Tri Sunoko, the president director of state airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II, said on Tuesday.

The airlines include national carrier PT Garuda Indonesia, AirAsia and Mandala Airlines.

Garuda, Sunoko said, would offer 16 additional flights between Jakarta and Denpasar, two more flights to Surabaya and 46 more flights to Pontianak.

AirAsia will have 144 extra flights to Denpasar, 16 more to Singapore, and Mandala Airlines will have 16 additional flights to Hong Kong, Sunoko said.

AirAsia said Tuesday that the company would add 27,000 seats during the year-end holidays to accommodate the high number of passengers.

“The majority of additional seats are for the Denpasar route because many passengers celebrate Christmas and New Year in Bali,” AirAsia corporate manager Audrey Progastama was quoted as saying by new portal kompas.com.

Audrey said the airline added 14,220 seats for the Jakarta-Denpasar route, 5,940 seats for the Jakarta-Singapore route and 6,840 seats for its Denpasar-Perth route.

“For the Jakarta-Denpasar route, we will fly seven times, up from four times, starting Dec. 17 to Jan. 8,” Audrey added.

Garuda Indonesia spokesman Pudjobroto said his company would increase flights to serve passengers celebrating Christmas and New Year.

The extra flights will begin on Dec. 23 until Jan. 3 next year.

“We will add 6,950 seats for the Jakarta-Denpasar route and 7,362 seats for the Jakarta-Singapore route,” Pudjobroto said.

The company will fly additional flights using its wide-bodied Boeing 747 and Airbus A330.

The additional flights out of Jakarta will accommodate the high number of travelers expected over the holiday period, which is predicted to grow by 15 percent or to 1.93 million from 1.67 million the previous year.

Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport serves 124,000 passengers daily.

Sunoko said Soekarno-Hatta airport would be prepared to handle the increased passenger numbers.

“We have upgraded our UPS and electricity generator to address possible electricity shortages, and added ground handling support facilities,” he said.

The airport came under criticism for a recent string of power outages that caused delays and errors.

Sunoko said his company would optimize security checks in every terminal to avoid long queues, as well as increase efficiency at the 217 check- in desks and help desks.

“We also increased parking facilities to 7,946 vehicles,” Sunoko said, adding that Angkasa Pura II had deployed 200 security officers to monitor and control security posts at Terminals IB and 2E.

The airline industry in Indonesia has grown significantly in the last five years. The Indonesia National Carrier Association (INACA) recorded that in 2009 there were 43.8 million air passengers compared to 37.4 million in 2008, an increase of 17 percent.