Air traffic started to 'rebound' in June, with about 600 thousand passengers, and the trend then continued to July, with around 1.58 million people
Jakarta (ANTARA) - As many as 412,186 aircraft, carrying 35.54 million passengers in total, took off from and landed at Indonesia's state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero) in 2020.

"At the start of the year when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, we established a new Corporate Budget Work Plan (RKAP), with a target of 34.6 million passengers by 2020. Owing to the efforts and hard work of all employees, this target was exceeded. The passenger movement reached 35.54 million,” AP II President Director Muhammad Awaluddin noted in a statement here on Tuesday.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a tough challenge, with a major impact on the national and international aviation market, he pointed out.

"However, we are grateful that in the midst of this challenge, all AP II airports can optimally maintain Indonesia's air connectivity and support public activities. Not to forget, all airports have also applied health protocols to prevent COVID-19 and increase confidence in air transportation," he affirmed.

All through 2020, the busiest AP II airport was the Soekarno-Hatta Airport, with 212,755 flight movements, serving a total of 20.54 million passengers.

Awaluddin noted that during the January-February 2020 period, the number of passengers at the company's 19 airports was high, reaching some seven to eight million per month.

Entering March when the government announced the country's first confirmed COVID-19 cases, the number of passengers was recorded at some five million.

In April, the number of passengers reached some 800 thousand, while the figure in May reached around 118 thousand.

"Air traffic started to 'rebound' in June, with about 600 thousand passengers, and the trend then continued to July, with around 1.58 million people; around 2.15 million people in August; and around 1.83 million people in September," Awaluddin stated.

In October, the number of passengers again increased to some 2.18 million people, some 2.91 million people in November, and some 3.45 million people in December.

Cargo volume of up to 693.61 million kilograms was recorded over the past year.

The cargo transportation business is relatively stable as compared to the passenger aircraft market, according to Awaluddin.

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Translator: Juwita TR, Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati
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