TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-run airport operator Angkasa Pura II (AP II) recorded that Soekarno-Hatta Airport served 220 flights consisting of 112 domestic flights and 108 international flights during the first semester of 2022.

The figures increased by 43.8 percent compared to the same period last year with 153 flight routes consisting of 71 domestic flights, and 82 international flights, most of which were repatriation flights of Indonesian citizens, according to AP II President Director Muhammad Awaluddin on Monday, August 1, 2022.

He added that from January to June 2022, the number of passengers reached 18.15 million people, up by almost 100 percent compared to the same period last year. During the first semester of 2021, there were 9.10 million passengers.

“From the passengers' number data, it can be seen that the national tourism sector is recovering,” Awaluddin said.

Additionally, the most popular domestic destination from the airport was Denpasar, Bali, with 1.92 million passengers. “Bali has become the most favorite route in line with the tourism recovery, including the reopening of Bali for foreign tourist visits,” he said.

Below Bali was Surabaya with 1.25 million passengers, Ujung Pandang with 1.21 million passengers, and Pontianak with 847,000 passengers.

As for international routes, Singapore was the most popular destination with a total of 543,821 passengers, followed by Jeddah of Saudi Arabia with 272,652 passengers; Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia with 241,095 passengers; Doha of Qatar with 187,064 passengers; and Dubai of UAE with 176,899 passengers.

“The recovery rate at Soekarno-Hatta Airport is around 82.5 percent, which means that flight traffic is around 82.5 percent from the pre-pandemic level in 2019. We will maintain and boost this recovery rate so that it can have an impact on the recovery of the national aviation industry,” said Awaluddin.

JONIANSYAH HARDJONO

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