TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-owned airport operator company PT Angkasa Pura II predicted that the number of airplane passenger in 15 airports operated by the company will increase by 8 to 10 percent. Therefore, the number of take-offs and landings will also increase from 1,200 occasions to 1,300 occasions.

“The increase is a normal trend that happens during Christmas and New Year holiday,” said Angkasa Pura II Director Awaluddin on Saturday, December 15, 2018.

With the 10 percent increase, the number of passengers in the 15 airports will increase by 20,000 to 30,000 people, from the normal 220,000 to 210,000 to 220,000 to 230,000. “This also coincides with many people conducting umrah at the end of the year,” Awaluddin said.

Previously, the Directorate General of Air Transportation of the Transportation Ministry Polana Banguningsih Prames stated that there have been 101 additional flight slots with 16,000 seats recorded on December 13, 2018. The additional seats were prepared to anticipate the increase of passengers on Christmas and New Year holiday.

Meanwhile, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi requested airports to extend their operational time. Budi added that currently, the Ministry is focusing on small airports such as the Silampari Airport in South Sumatera, or the Pangkalan Bun Airport in Central Kalimantan, which opens depending on the number of flights instead of open for 24 hours. “We did request for longer operational hours,” Budi said.