Airport calm, Merak port crowded

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

The mass influx of homeward-bound holiday revelers is yet to be seen at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, but people returning from Sumatra have started to pack Merak port.

Wahyu Raharjo, a duty officer at the airport, said the number of arrivals and departures recorded no significant increase.

"No signs of passenger influx is yet to be seen, thus far. Many want to enjoy their holiday to the last minute. That's why they use planes to return home in time," Wahyu said, adding that the peak will be on Saturday and Sunday.

The airport recorded on Tuesday 27,643 arrivals -- only 15,099 domestic passengers. Arrivals soared to 43,047 on Wednesday, mostly passengers on international flights, with only 16,659 domestic passengers.

By Friday afternoon there were 6,097 arrivals on 87 flights, while 10,909 passengers departed on 126 flights.

In contrast to the airport situation, The Jakarta Post observed on Friday that traffic from Merak port heading to Cilegon municipality was heavily congested as holidaymakers began returning home.

The traffic further worsened on the Jakarta-Merak toll road, from where people were heading to weekend destinations, such as Carita, Florida, Kelapa Tujuh and Salira Indah beaches.

Teja Suparna, the operations manager of the River and Crossing Transportation Company at the Merak port, said the number of passengers crossing the Sunda Strait by ferry rose to 52,000 from 28,000 on Thursday.

Most of the passengers were bound for Jakarta from Riau, West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Aceh.

"We received information from officials at the Bakeuheni Port in Lampung that the number of passengers to Merak will reach its peak on Saturday and Sunday," Teja said.