Airline Ticket Prices Remain High; Transport Minister Announces 18% Discount Scheme
Ahead of the 2026 Lebaran exodus season, Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi announced a stimulus discount on economy-class airline tickets of up to 18 per cent in response to complaints about expensive airfares.
“The government is here to ease the burden on the public. We have already provided a stimulus in the form of a discount on economy-class tickets of approximately up to 18 per cent,” said Transport Minister Dudy to the media following a Coordination Meeting on Mudik Flow Preparations at the Office of the Governor of South Sulawesi on Friday, 27 February.
However, the discount is just one of several measures being prepared by the Ministry of Transport (Kemenhub) to address the surge in demand during the mudik season.
Dudy emphasised that his ministry is also in intensive coordination with all airlines to roll out an Extra Flight programme or additional flights.
“This is a precautionary measure. Currently we are mapping and collating which regions require additional flights. If necessary, extra flights will be implemented immediately,” explained Dudy.
This strategic step was taken for good reason. Based on Ministry of Transport data and surveys, public interest in mudik using air transport this year is predicted to be very high.
Of an estimated 143.9 million total migrants, approximately 4.98 million people are expected to choose “iron wings” as their vehicle home for the holiday.
Meanwhile, behind the flurry of technical preparations, the public is also still awaiting clarity regarding the evaluation of the upper rate cap (TBA) and lower rate cap (TBB) for aircraft tickets.
The Director General of Air Transport at Kemenhub, Lukman F. Laisa, confirmed that the evaluation process is underway. This evaluation is said to touch on the avtur component, which has been the largest operational cost for airlines, or what is known as fuel surcharge.
“Until now we are still evaluating and the process is continuing. We will provide further details once everything is complete,” said Lukman, who declined to provide further details on the target completion date for the revision of regulations outlined in Transport Ministry Decree KM No. 106/2019.
With various efforts being rolled out, the government hopes the public will be able to celebrate Eid al-Fitr 1447 AH in their home villages without having to worry about transport costs that drain their pockets.