TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian flight industry, throughout August 2020, has shown promising numbers as state-run airport operator Angkasa Pura II (AP II) had logged a 38 percent growth across 19 airports with 2.1 million compared to the previous month of 1.52 million people.

“The improving demand from the people have made one additional route to be opened. Other routes that were initially closed are now active again,” wrote the Angkasa Pura II president director Muhammad Awaluddin in a statement on Thursday, September 3.

Directly corresponding to the growing number of passengers, flight traffic has also seen improvements with a 17 percent flight frequency growth across 19 AP II airports from 21,431 flights to 25,041 flights. Positive growth is also seen in the freight industry in August.

The most significant increase in flight traffic, passenger traffic, and cargo was recorded from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, which saw a 17 percent increase in flight frequencies to 14,393, while passenger traffic increased by 36 percent, and freight cargo volume up to 38.8 thousand tons.

The overall growth is boosted by the fact that airports have started to operate again such as the Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung to serve passenger jets to Kuala Namu, Denpasar, Pekanbaru, Makassar, Balikpapan, and Palembang.

Air carriers offering the flights apart from Garuda Indonesia is its subsidiary Citilink, and Lion Air.

Read also: Angkasa Pura II Explains Strategies to Recover Flight Industry

FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA