TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Transportation Ministry supported the plan of airlines to increase the tariff of air cargo service as it would double the benefit of delivery service companies.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said that the ministry could not intervene in airlines’ regulation on the air cargo fee.

“I, as the regulator, cannot intervene in it because if I do intervene, KPPU (Business Competition Supervisory Commission) will criticize me,” said Budi Karya, as noted in Bisnis Monday, February 25.

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Budi said that delivery service companies represented by the Express Couriers Association (Asperindo) should not highly increase the rate and demanded airlines set reasonable fee and not drastically raise the tariff.

Based on data obtained by Bisnis, the highest raise of air cargo service in Garuda Indonesia was applied for Jakarta-Palembang flight by 352 percent or at Rp9,100 per kilometer per hour in January 2019 from previously around Rp2,100-Rp5,400 per kilometer per hour in June 2018.

Low-cost airliner Lion Air, meanwhile, set the highest increase of air cargo tariff for Jakarta-Padang by 176 percent, from initially Rp5,000 per kilometers per hour in early October 2018 to Rp13,800 per kilometer per hour in January 2019. In addition, the tariff is flat which means there is no difference between day or night flight, whereas previously, day flight is cheaper than the night one.

BISNIS