Logistics Costs Fall as Airlangga Says Eid Imports Unaffected

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — The Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, said goods imported for Eid al-Fitr would not be affected by rising logistics costs. Airlangga said imports for Eid requirements had entered the country since before the Iran–Israel war erupted in late February. ‘Not yet, not yet. It’s still stock that arrived yesterday,’ Airlangga said when he was spotted at Senayan City Mall, Jakarta, on Friday (6 March 2026).

The waters in the Gulf are known to be the main route for global oil trade. As a result, world oil prices surged, pushing up logistics costs. According to Airlangga, to date prices of several imported commodities have remained stable. ‘Still safe,’ Airlangga said.

Earlier, the head of the Indonesian Logistics Association (ALI), Mahendra Rianto, said logistics costs have improved by as much as 50 percent. The rise has been driven by rising global oil prices. Meanwhile, logistics distribution depends on fuel. Mahendra said that in shipping, customers are charged a war surcharge or additional costs related to the war. He gave an example: the cost of sea transportation for a 40-foot container from Indonesia to Europe used to be US$4,000. Now, the cost has risen sharply. ‘The cost of transporting a 40-foot container to Europe is usually US$4,000,’ Mahendra said. ‘Now it’s US$6,000 per container.’

The conflict between Iran and Israel and the United States in the Middle East has spread to the region. Shortly after the spiritual leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died following an attack by Israel, the war intensified. Iran has struck military bases and even the offices of the US intelligence community in Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Jordan.