BPKN Responds to Airlines' Demand to Raise Ticket Price Cap

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The high price of airline tickets is still widely discussed by the public, especially after Garuda Indonesia president director proposed to increase the price of airline tickets due to high operating costs.

The head of the National Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN), Mufti Mubarok, rejected the idea, saying that increasing the price of airline tickets would burden the public.

"Expensive ticket prices will make consumers scream," he said on May 25,

According to Mufti, ticket prices were already expensive before the increase. He claimed that airlines often violate government-imposed fare caps without strict sanctions from the regulator.

"High operating costs are a classic reason for airlines to raise ticket prices," he added.

Irfan Setiaputra, president director of Garuda Indonesia, is aware that his proposal to raise the fare cap could trigger public protests. He appealed to the public not to compare domestic ticket prices with international ones, particularly in terms of services.

He argued that airplanes are not the main means of transportation, but are used by certain groups who sometimes have certain interests. He hopes people can understand that airplanes come at a high cost. "As much as 30 percent of our costs are for jet fuel, 30 percent for [aircraft] leases, and 20 to 30 percent for maintenance. Should we have a zero budget for maintenance?" he said on Wednesday, May 22.

RIRI RAHAYU | AISYAH AMIRA WAKANG

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News