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INDONESIAN airport operator, PT Angkasa Pura I, recorded a 47.2% growth in air passenger traffic in October 2021 to reach 2,860,812 passengers, from 1,943,424 travelers in September 2021.
According to AP I President Director, Faik Fahmi, noted in a statement monitored on Tuesday (11/10) said after the emergency community activity restrictions (PPKM) in July 2021, the number of aircraft passengers continued to grow. The easing of air travel requirements since September and October has had an impact on increasing the number of passengers.
Fahmi notified that the highest passenger traffic in last October was recorded at the Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar, reaching 664,514 passengers, while the second highest was observed at the Juanda Airport, Surabaya, reaching 570,487, and followed by the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport where Bali passengers totaled 464,840.
“Growth also occurred in aircraft traffic in October 2021, an increase of 31.4%, from 23,379 in September 2021 to 30,730 in October 2021. Likewise, cargo traffic also increased, from 35,589,981 kg in September to 39,028,581 kg in October 2021, a growth of 9.6%,” he added.
Meanwhile, the total flight traffic at 15 Angkasa Pura I airports from January to October 2021 comprised 21,255,164 passenger movements, 258,698 aircraft movements, and 340,981,684 kg of cargo. Even so, health protocols at all Angkasa Pura I airports are still being implemented according to procedures,” Fahmi noted.
Meanwhile, in October 2021, AP I had served an average of 92,284 passengers per day at 15 airports. Despite experiencing growth in the average number of daily passengers as compared to last September, this increase is still less than the average daily traffic before the Emergency PPKM.
During the period from May 18 to July 2, the average daily passenger traffic had reached 119,845 passengers per day. Along with the easing of the people’s mobility requirements in using air transportation as well as the declining cases of COVID-19 and wider vaccination coverage, Fahmi is optimistic that growth in aircraft passengers would continue until the end of 2021.
“The World Superbike 2021 international motorcycle racing event in Mandalika in November is also expected to increase flight traffic and restore Lombok’s tourism,” he concluded. [antaranews/photo special]
