A breath of fresh air for the national aviation industry
This article has been translated by PwC Indonesia as part of our Indonesia Infrastructure News Service. PwC Indonesia has not checked the accuracy of, and accepts no responsibility for the content.
Investor Daily - Angin segar industri penerbangan tanah air
20 March 2025
By Heru Febrianto
Jakarta, ID – Airlines in Indonesia are gearing up for the 2025 Eid al-Fitr homecoming season. It is estimated that there will be a 12% increase in air passengers during this period.
The Director General of Air Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation, Lukman E. Laisa, stated that the number of air passengers during the 2025 Eid al-Fitr transportation period is expected to increase by 12%, reaching a total of 6,186,298 passengers compared to 5,529,659 passengers in 2024.
He assured that the capacity needs for air transportation during this period have been met. From the projected number of passengers, 325 aircraft are needed, while currently, 404 aircraft are ready to operate, ensuring regular flight services can optimally accommodate the passenger surge.
As in previous years, the Ministry of Transportation, through the Directorate General of Air Transportation, will implement the Integrated Eid al-Fitr Transportation Post 2025 at the Mataram Room of the Ministry of Transportation Office, from D-10 (21 March 2025) to D+10 (11 April 2025).
"The Directorate General of Air Transportation will monitor 60 airports, consisting of 25 airports managed by the airport management unit, one airport managed by the local government, and 34 airports managed by PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia," said Lukman in Jakarta on Wednesday (19/3/2025).
In addition to the post, aviation inspectors in the fields of air transportation, airports, air navigation, aviation security, airworthiness, and aircraft operations will also conduct supervision and ramp checks according to the scheduled timetable.
The estimated number of air passengers during the Integrated Eid al-Fitr Transportation Post 2025 is 4,951,391 domestic passengers and 1,234,907 international passengers.
"The peak of the homecoming flow is expected to occur on 28 March 2025, and the peak of the return flow on 6 April 2025," said Lukman.
To ensure the smooth flow of homecoming and return, cross-ministry and agency collaboration is needed to serve the public well, providing a sense of safety and comfort during their journey.
The Directorate General of Air Transportation has instructed the heads of Airport Authority Offices from Regions I to X, air navigation providers, air transportation businesses, and airport operators to work optimally according to their respective duties to ensure all aspects of safety, security, comfort, and compliance with applicable regulations are met. "Together, let's make the 2025 Eid al-Fitr transportation successful," he said.
Lukman also reminded that besides preparing facilities, infrastructure, and personnel, other aspects that need to be anticipated include extreme weather by preparing a contingency plan in case of accidents and force majeure (natural disasters), security threats, and public order.
Similarly, delay management services need to be prepared to ensure that services to air transportation users run smoothly according to applicable regulations," he concluded.
Meanwhile, independent aviation analyst Gatot Rahardjo said several factors influencing the high number of Eid al-Fitr homecoming passengers this year compared to the previous year are also affected by discounted air tickets. Additionally, the longer holiday period supports the interest of passengers using air transportation.
"I think this is widely utilised due to the discounted air ticket rates of up to 13-14%. Moreover, the longer holiday period will be widely utilised by air passengers," he told Investor Daily.
Gatot stated that the discounted tickets provided by the government are also expected to benefit other stakeholders such as tourist destinations and the hospitality sector. "Hopefully, everyone can feel the impact of these discounted air tickets. Not only airlines but other sectors as well," he concluded.
Serving 11.44 million passengers
Passenger movements at the beginning of this year continue to increase at airports managed by PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia (InJourney Airports).
In February 2025, the number of air passengers at all InJourney Airports cumulatively recorded around 11.44 million passengers, growing by 1% compared to February 2024, which had 11.36 million passengers.
InJourney Airports President Director Faik Fahmi said that demand for domestic routes remains stable, and demand for international routes is quite vibrant.
"Domestic routes remain stable, and the growth of air passengers on international routes is quite significant. Domestic air passengers at InJourney Airports in February 2025 reached 8.33 million passengers, and international routes had 3.11 million passengers, bringing the total to 11.36 million air passengers," said Faik Fahmi.
Furthermore, Faik Fahmi said that the growing demand in February aligns with the strengthening global demand for air travel.
"Global demand is growing, and according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the strongest growth at the beginning of this year is in the Asia-Pacific region," he said.
In addition to the growth in passenger numbers, InJourney Airports in February 2025 also recorded aircraft movements reaching 83,000 flights and cargo volume of around 100 million kilograms.
In the first two months of this year, January-February 2025, the number of air passengers at InJourney Airports reached 24.63 million passengers, up 5% compared to January-February 2024.
During January-February 2025, the five busiest airports were Soekarno-Hatta Tangerang (8.23 million passengers), I Gusti Ngurah Rai Bali (3.55 million passengers), Juanda Surabaya (2.13 million passengers), Sultan Hasanuddin Makassar (1.44 million passengers), and Kualanamu Deli Serdang (1.18 million passengers).
Faik Fahmi stated that InJourney Airports, along with all parties in the aviation ecosystem, strive to maintain the positive trend of passenger movements.
"The growth of air passengers in January and February will continue in March with the 2025 Eid al-Fitr transportation period. During the 22-day transportation period from 21 March to 11 April, we estimate that the number of air passengers at InJourney Airports can reach 10.8 million passengers," said Faik Fahmi.
InJourney Airports is optimistic that the cumulative number of air passengers at all airports throughout 2025 can reach 162 million passengers.
