"We have raised the price of Garuda`s flight tickets by an average of five percent since last August 1, in response to the depreciation of the rupiah value," Garuda President Director Emirsyah Satar said.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - State-owned airlines Garuda Indonesia has raised its ticket price by an average of five percent in response to the rupiah depreciation which has reached a range of Rp11,700 per US dollar, its president director said.
"We have raised the price of Garuda`s flight tickets by an average of five percent since last August 1, in response to the depreciation of the rupiah value," Garuda President Director Emirsyah Satar said here on Tuesday.
He said that all companies, including Garuda, must have attention to the fall of the rupiah value and take anticipatory steps to avoid its impacts on their operations.
"We will continue to monitor the dollar`s movements from time to time so that we could take strategic steps," he said.
He said that as far as the rupiah`s value against the Greenback was stable at a range of between Rp11,000 and Rp11,500, it was expected to not affect the company`s performance too much.
"It would matter if the rupiah`s fluctuation occurs in a higher range," he added.
According to Emirsyah, the appreciation of the US dollar affects the company`s cost components such as fuel purchase, aircraft rent and maintenance cost which are paid in US dollar.
Therefore, besides raising flight ticket prices, Garuda also takes various efficiency steps, including increasing the frequency of plane usage and reduce operational costs in offices.
"With these steps, Garuda continues to carry out its operation and business expansion based on its corporate business plans," he said.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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