Indef Assesses Domestic Airline Ticket Prices Remain Expensive Ahead of Eid Holiday Travel
Domestic airline ticket prices have come under scrutiny again ahead of the Eid holiday travel season. Flight costs deemed to remain elevated are feared to restrict public mobility and diminish the potential for regional economic activity.
Nur Komaria, a researcher at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance’s (Indef) Centre for Digital Economy and Small-to-Medium Enterprises, stated that the problem of expensive airline tickets emerges almost regularly before extended holidays, including Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. According to her, this situation has prompted some members of the public to choose connecting flights through other countries because they are cheaper.
“In some cases, international tickets are actually cheaper than domestic flights to several regions within Indonesia,” Nur Komaria said during an Indef public discussion titled “Eid Economy Amid Global Turmoil” in Jakarta on Monday (9 March 2026).
She cited examples of travel to certain regions in Sumatra that are sometimes more expensive than flights to neighbouring countries such as Malaysia or Singapore. Consequently, some holiday travellers prefer to transit abroad first before continuing their journey to domestic destinations.
According to Nur, the government has actually established upper and lower price limits for airline tickets. However, price differences compared to international flights remain a frequent complaint amongst the public.
Beyond affecting holiday travellers, she added, high ticket prices also impact the domestic tourism sector. Tourist mobility to various regions could potentially decrease if transportation costs are too steep.
Yet, Nur noted, the Eid holiday typically represents an important opportunity for tourist destinations to increase visitor arrivals and stimulate local economies. She believes that pricing policies for air transport should not be implemented only seasonally.
The government should also ensure that ticket prices remain competitive throughout the year so that public mobility and the tourism sector can grow more stably. With more affordable transport prices, she concluded, the economic potential from population movement during Ramadan and Eid could be utilised more optimally.