In a statement received here on Friday, AP II president director Muhammad Awaluddin said the number of passengers, which reached two million in just eight days, was a very positive trend.
"Moreover, this significant increase can be managed properly by AP II and stakeholders to ensure the smooth flow of homecoming. We are grateful to all airport personnel, both AP II personnel and other institutions, who have worked hard to ensure that travelers can return to their hometowns comfortably through AP II airports," he added.
Based on data from the 2023 AP II Eid Transport Post, the number of passengers at 20 AP II airports from D-10 to D-2 was recorded at 2.06 million, an increase of around 26 percent from 1.63 million during the same period of the 2022 Eid homecoming.
Meanwhile, aircraft movement was recorded at 15,840 flights, or an increase of 17 percent, Awaluddin said.
The large number of passengers at the airports cannot be separated from the readiness of AP II and related parties in anticipating the 2023 Eid homecoming period, he added.
"We have projected that flight traffic during the 2023 Eid homecoming will increase and be almost similar to the 2019 Eid homecoming or before the pandemic. Thus, we have prepared an operational plan to ensure that we can accommodate growing demand," he informed.
In addition, he said that AP II has ensured the availability of flight time slots to accommodate existing requests from airlines to support extra flights.
Moreover, government policies related to joint leave have also supported the smooth homecoming flow at AP II airports, he added.
"The homecoming flow is running smoothly at AP II airports. Apart from the readiness that has been carried out by AP II, it is also inseparable from the government's policy of adding joint leave days to avoid congestion," he said.
During D-10 to D-2 of the Eid homecoming, the AP II airport that was most busy serving passengers was Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Banten Province, he informed.
During that period, the number of passengers at Soekarno-Hatta Airport was recorded at 1.24 million, an increase of 19 percent compared to the same period during the 2022 Eid homecoming, he disclosed.
The number of flights also increased by five percent from 8,547 to 8,975, Awaluddin added.
Meanwhile, Soekarno-Hatta Airport’s executive general manager, Dwi Ananda Wicaksana, said that during the 2023 Eid homecoming, the airport is holding various events and activities at Terminal 1, Terminal 2, and Terminal 3 to provide more services to travelers.
"Throughout the Eid homecoming period, Soekarno-Hatta Airport has held a bazaar and displayed various arts such as stringed music, drums, Sufi dance, and many others. We hope these various events and activities can entertain passengers during their homecoming trips," he added.
Other AP II airports that also recorded the busiest traffic during D-10 to D-2 of Eid were Kualanamu Airport (Deli Serdang), Halim Perdanakusuma (Jakarta), Sultan Syarif Kasim II (Pekanbaru), and Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport (Palembang).
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Translator: Benardy Ferdiansyah, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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