Police Chief: Peak Eid Holiday Exodus and Return in 2026 Predicted to Occur Twice
National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo chaired a cross-sectoral coordination meeting to ensure the smooth flow of the 2026 Eid holiday exodus and return traffic. Sigit stated that the peak outbound traffic during Eid 2026 is predicted to occur twice.
The coordination meeting was held at the Pearl Auditorium, STIK-PTIK Police Education and Training Centre, on Monday, 2 March 2026. The meeting was also attended by Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Pratikno, Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar, Trade Minister Budi Santoso, and Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi. The Deputy Commander for Operations of the Armed Forces, the Head of the National Disaster Management Authority, the Head of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, and the heads of state-owned enterprises including Pertamina, Jasa Marga, and Jasa Raharja also participated.
The meeting was attended by 302 participants in person, including 28 headquarters-level personnel from the Police Headquarters and 36 regional police commanders from across Indonesia. In the structure of Operation Ketupat 2026, Police Chief General Listyo Sigit serves as the Operation Policy Director, assisted by Deputy Police Chief Komjen Dedi Prasetyo as the Deputy Director. Technically, the operation will be led by the Chief of the Traffic Corps Irjen Agus Suryonugroho as the Operations Commander. All Operation Ketupat 2026 officials were present at this meeting.
Regional police chiefs and local regional leadership councils participated virtually in the meeting proceedings. In his presentation, Sigit emphasised the importance of synergy and collaboration among all stakeholders to serve the public during the Eid exodus and celebrations for 1447 Hijri. This aligns with the 2026 mudik tagline: “Safe Journey, Happy Family”.
Sigit stated that Operation Ketupat 2026 will last for 13 days from 13 to 25 March 2026. A troop deployment will be conducted on Thursday, 12 March 2026.
Sigit noted that the peak outbound traffic during Eid 2026 is predicted to occur twice. This is in line with the government’s implementation of the work-from-anywhere policy.
“The predicted peak outbound traffic (first wave) is likely to occur on 14-15 March. Then the government implements work-from-home, usually between 16 and 17 March. Meanwhile, the predicted second peak outbound traffic is on 18-19 March,” said General Sigit.
He noted that during this period, there is also the Balinese Hindu New Year (Nyepi). Therefore, arrangements for crossings between East Java and Bali are necessary to respect the Hindu community.
The police also predict that the peak return traffic during Eid 2026 will occur twice. The first peak return is estimated to occur on 24-25 March and the second on 28-29 March 2026.
“The predicted first peak return traffic is on 24 and 25 March. The predicted second peak return traffic is 28 to 29 March,” he said.
Sigit assured that his personnel are ready to secure the smooth flow of outbound and return traffic during Eid 2026. A total of 2,746 Eid service posts will be established during Operation Ketupat, consisting of 1,624 security checkpoints, 779 service posts, and 343 integrated command posts.
“We also communicate this to drivers so they can utilise these facilities. Please ensure this is communicated to the public, including the 343 integrated command posts, which serve as operational control centres where we have also prepared rest areas and various services for the public who will be travelling for the exodus and return,” Sigit said.
Sigit noted that security efforts are not only focused on ensuring smooth traffic flow on toll roads and arterial routes, but also encompass 121,803 mosques for Eid prayers, as well as more than 4,000 tourist attractions that are predicted to be visited during the Eid holiday period.
In his presentation, Sigit highlighted several critical bottleneck points, particularly on the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road at Km 48 (MBZ downhill) and the Kalikangkung Toll Gate at Km 414. Therefore, traffic management schemes such as one-way systems, contraflow, and odd-even restrictions have been prepared in accordance with a joint decision letter.