Pelni urges public to utilise ticket discounts before they run out

Jakarta (ANTARA) - PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia or Pelni (Persero) has urged the public to make use of the economic stimulus programme offering discounts on passenger ship transport for Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijri before the programme is exhausted. “We note that this programme has already absorbed 72 per cent or the equivalent of 338,474 tickets from a total budget of Rp42.3 billion,” said Pelni Company Secretary Ditto Pappilanda in Jakarta on Thursday. The company also advised the public who still plan to travel home using Pelni ships to book discounted tickets immediately through official sales channels to avoid running out of quota. “With around 28 per cent of the discount quota remaining, we urge those who have not yet booked tickets to purchase them as soon as possible before they are depleted,” he said. Pelni will continue to monitor the absorption of the economic stimulus discount programme. “If the transport discount quota is exhausted, ticket prices will return to normal,” said Ditto. Up to 19 March 2026, discounted ticket sales have reached approximately 76 per cent of the projected 445,534 discounted passengers. The realisation of discounted passengers for departures from 11 to 19 March 2026 stands at 168,819 people. Meanwhile, the highest number of discounted passenger departures occurred on 18 March 2026, with 27,790 passengers. According to him, the high public interest in this discount was also driven by the work from anywhere (WFA) policy that was in effect a few days ago. “Total discounted ticket sales for the homecoming peak departure period from 11 to 22 March 2026 have reached 200,346 tickets,” he said. Meanwhile, the overall homecoming peak occurred on 18 March 2026 with a realisation of 31,131 passengers. “This figure is up around 12.2 per cent compared to the same period last year, which was 27,741 passengers,” said Ditto. Pelni, he added, will continue to prioritise maritime safety. “We always coordinate with port authorities to ensure maximum capacity on board ships,” he stated.