Soetta Terminal 3 Crowded Five Days Before Eid, 16 Mudik Travellers Collapse at Gilimanuk
Thousands of passengers crowded Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Sunday (15 March), five days before Eid 1447 Hijriah. Congestion was evident at the check-in counter area as prospective passengers underwent flight document inspections by officials as a requirement before departure.
Passengers, whether travelling with family or alone, chose to return home earlier. In addition to the holiday season beginning, this approach was taken to avoid passenger congestion closer to the peak mudik period.
Data from Angkasa Pura Indonesia recorded a trend of quite significant passenger increases. Today saw approximately 174,000 passenger movements and 1,159 aircraft movements, both domestic and international flights. This figure increased approximately 25 per cent compared to normal days.
Heru Karyadi, General Manager of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, stated that by five days before Eid, the airport had served approximately 3,077 flights with a total of 454,069 passengers, and this figure was estimated to continue increasing approaching the peak mudik period.
“Today at H-5, Soekarno-Hatta Airport served 3,077 flights or as many as 454,069 passengers and this data continues to move towards day H, and there are five first favourite destinations: Denpasar, Ujung Pandang, Kualanamu, Surabaya, and for international destinations Singapore and Kuala Lumpur,” said Heru.
The five favourite destinations for passengers from Soekarno-Hatta Airport include Denpasar, Ujung Pandang, Kualanamu, Surabaya, as well as international routes to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
Meanwhile, the peak mudik period is predicted to occur on 18 March 2026, or H-2 Eid, with estimates reaching 184,000 passenger movements.
To provide safety and comfort for passengers, police officers and tracker dogs were deployed at every terminal. Additionally, inter-terminal shuttle services were provided for passengers who went to the wrong terminal when flight times were pressing.
Wisnu Wardana, head of Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police, urged passengers to arrive at the airport earlier, at least three hours before scheduled departure, to avoid long queues and flight delays.
“We from the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police provide inter-terminal shuttle services if passengers experience emergencies,” said Wisnu.
Sixteen mudik travellers collapsed
A total of 16 mudik travellers at Gilimanuk Port in Bali collapsed after exhaustion due to hot weather and quite long queues at Gilimanuk Port, Jembrana Regency, Bali, on Sunday (15 March).
“Jembrana Police through its medical team continued to stand by providing health services to mudik travellers passing through the Gilimanuk area,” said Ipda I Putu Budi Arnaya, Information Section Chief of Jembrana Police, on Sunday (15 March).
The medical team provided assistance to 17 mudik travellers who experienced health problems. As many as 16 of them experienced heat syncope or fainting due to exhaustion and hot weather.
Arnaya mentioned that one mudik traveller who experienced an accident had received medical treatment and medication.
“Mudik travellers are advised to maintain their physical condition during the journey, get sufficient rest, and not to force themselves if experiencing exhaustion, given the high density of mudik traffic flow towards Gilimanuk Port,” he said.