Uproar Over Padang-Manokwari Flight Tickets at Rp17 Million: Transport Ministry Responds
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Flight ticket prices reaching Rp16 million to Rp17 million recently sparked considerable discussion on social media. The government states that this price surge is not caused by official airline fare increases, but rather by indirect routes involving multiple transits.
The Ministry of Transport explained that this phenomenon frequently appears on online ticketing platforms or online travel agents (OTAs). When direct flights are sold out, the system displays alternative travel routes with longer distances, making ticket prices appear significantly more expensive.
Agustinus Budi Hartono, Director of Air Transport at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of the Ministry of Transport, stated that the perception of expensive flight tickets often emerges because the public does not examine the route details offered.
“When we look at social media, it seems the ticket prices are very high. However, upon closer inspection, the routes offered by online travel agents are actually routes with multiple transits because the direct routes are sold out,” said Agustinus during a press conference at the Ministry of Tourism regarding flight ticket price issues on Tuesday, 17 March 2026.
He cited an example of one flight ticket from eastern Indonesia to Sumatra that went viral for being sold at tens of millions of rupiah.
“For example, there are tickets from Timika to Padang or from Manokwari to Padang priced at nearly Rp16 million to Rp17 million,” said Agustinus.
These prices appear because the ticketing system offers indirect travel routes, resulting in longer distances and higher fares. However, if using normal routes with a single transit in a major city, ticket prices should not be that high.
“In fact, when we calculate it, the price should not exceed approximately Rp8 million or Rp9 million,” he said.
Several domestic routes in Indonesia indeed do not have direct flights, so passengers must transit before continuing their journey to their destination city. However, when the OTA system offers routes with more than one transit, travel costs automatically increase because each flight segment has its own tariff.
“What happens is that there is more than one transit, which ultimately results in significantly inflated ticket prices,” said Agustinus.
The Ministry of Transport has also requested that ticketing platforms be more transparent in displaying flight seat availability to prevent misunderstandings among the public. He requested that if direct flights are sold out, ticketing platforms should clearly inform prospective passengers of this fact. This step is important to ensure the public does not misunderstand flight ticket price conditions, particularly during peak-demand periods such as the mudik (homecoming) season and extended holidays.
“If tickets are indeed unavailable or seats are sold out, it might be better to inform passengers that tickets are not available,” said Agustinus.