Parliament Scrutinises Expensive Mudik Flight Tickets, Garuda Claims Compliance with Government Price Ceiling
JAKARTA – PT Garuda Indonesia has explained the reasons its airline tickets are frequently perceived as expensive, particularly during the Lebaran mudik travel period.
The state-owned carrier stated that ticket pricing still adheres to government provisions, specifically the upper price limit (tarif batas atas).
“Therefore, regarding tickets for Garuda, we indeed still follow the standard provided by the government, Sir, which is the upper price limit. So, the tickets sold by Garuda never exceed what has been stipulated by the regulator,” said Dani Haikal, Operations Director of PT Garuda Indonesia, during a coordination meeting for preparations of the 2026 Lebaran mudik movement with Commission V of the Indonesian Parliament, Wednesday, 11 March 2026.
He added that ticket prices displayed on Garuda Indonesia’s official website have also been adjusted to comply with regulatory provisions.
The explanation was provided by Dani in response to several questions from Lasarus, Chair of Commission V of Parliament, regarding the high price of domestic flight tickets compared to international flights, particularly during the Lebaran mudik period.
According to Lasarus, this situation creates an anomaly since international flight tickets in some cases are actually cheaper than domestic flights.
“It becomes difficult for us in this commission to explain, whilst we serve as the receptacle for public complaints regarding high ticket prices, particularly on domestic flights. However, what is strange is the anomaly, Sir. How can flights abroad be cheaper? This is indeed a major question among the public,” said Lasarus.
He also highlighted the position of Garuda Indonesia as a state-owned enterprise (BUMN) that charges relatively high ticket prices.
Lasarus even sarcastically noted Garuda’s situation of continued financial pressure despite selling tickets at high prices.
“The tickets are the most expensive, and yet the company goes bankrupt. It neither benefits the public, nor does the company itself survive,” he said.
In response, Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi explained that the government constantly monitors flight tariff setting by airlines, particularly during periods of high demand such as Lebaran and Christmas-New Year.
“During major events such as Lebaran as well as the Christmas-New Year period, we certainly always monitor the tariff setting conducted by the airlines,” said Dudy.
“And indeed, during peak season, airlines typically use the upper price limit as already provided, Sir,” said Dudy.
Dudy also emphasised that the government issues warnings when airlines are found to violate these tariff provisions.
“Thus far, whenever there is a violation, we always issue a warning,” he concluded.