Ministry ramps up preparations for year-end air travel season

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry has ramped up preparations to handle a potential surge of flights during the 2025 Christmas and 2026 New Year holiday period.”We have prepared a special operation plan to ensure the safety, security, and comfort of air travelers during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period,” Director General of Air Transport at the ministry, Lukman F. Laisa, stated here on Sunday.A dedicated air transport observation center, covering 257 airports nationwide, will operate during the year-end travel period from December 18, 2025, to January 4, 2026, at the ministry office in Jakarta, he said.The ministry projected that flight passengers during the year-end holiday period will be served by 286 jet planes and 40 propeller planes operated by Indonesian flight companies.The official noted that 560 aircraft units are available in Indonesia, with 366 ready for service and 194 others under maintenance. Companies with the most aircraft units include Lion Air with 97, flag carrier Garuda Indonesia with 81, and Lion Air’s subsidiary Wings Air with 77 units.The surge of air traffic is projected to occur on December 21, 2025, with the return flow expected on January 3–4, 2026, he added.Meanwhile, the directorate general forecasts that the country’s busiest airports will include Soekarno-Hatta in Tangerang, Jakarta’s primary gateway, as well as Ngurah Rai in Bali, Sultan Hasanuddin in Makassar, Kualanamu in Medan, and Juanda in Surabaya.International air travel during the period is expected to be dominated by flights to and from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.To ensure transport safety during the period, Laisa encouraged airline companies and airport operators to ensure preparedness and anticipate potential risks.”We have also prepared contingency plans and a disaster-preparedness guide for airports for emergency use,” he added.The government also readied incentives to help reduce flight ticket fares during the peak period, including through discounts for value-added tax, airport service fees, and aircraft fuel prices.”The fare discount applies for ticket purchases from October 22, 2025, until January 10, 2026, and the flight period is from December 22, 2025, to January 10, 2026,” Laisa remarked.