TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Director General of Air Transportation of The Transportation Ministry Agus Santoso, said that there would be a total of 5.9 million people using air transportation in this year's homecoming. The number was calculated from the total number of sold seats until the end of Ramadan.
"Compared to other modes of transportation, air transportation records the highest number of passengers," Agus said on Wednesday, June 13, 2018.
Agus added that there is a 10 to 11 percent increase in total the number of airplane passengers compared to the 5.3 million recorded last year.
Despite the increasing number of passengers, Agus explained that the peak of the homecoming passengers was recorded six days before Eid Al-Fitr, which is on Saturday, June 9, 2018. Meanwhile, last year, the peak of the homecoming passengers occurred two days before Eid Al-Fitr.
"The difference was caused by the fact that this year, holiday occurs much earlier before Eid Al-Fitr, so the people travel back to their hometown at the beginning of the holidays," Agus explained.
Angkasa Pura II Director Muhammad Awaluddin, said that the long holiday in this year’s Ed Al-Fitrhas caused different patter of homecoming passengers. For this year the spread of airplane passengers are more equal.
"There was no significant surge of passengers on three or two days before Eid, the number is almost equal [every day]," said Awaluddin.
CAESAR AKBAR
