Angkasapura lays on 58 additional flights

TANGERANG: To anticipate increased domestic air travel ahead of the Idul Fitri celebrations, the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport operator, PT. Angkasapura II, has laid on 58 extra flights serving domestic destinations.

Angkasapura staffer Andang SN told the press on Friday that the additional 58 flights would serve various local destinations, including Semarang, Surakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar and Manado.

"The additional flights will start operating 7 days before and will continue for 7 days after the Idul Fitri celebrations, which fall on Dec. 16 and 17," he said.

He said the additional services would be provided by Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air, adding that he expected the number of holiday travelers to increase by up to 15 percent this year, as happened last year.

He cited that as of Friday there were already signs of a significant increase in the number of passengers leaving the capital city for their hometowns.

Andang added that he did not yet know how much air tickets would increase by during the current Ramadhan. "We are still waiting for the government to decide by December 9," he said. --JP