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THE MINISTRY of Transportation projects a surge in air passengers during the 2025 and 2026 Christmas and New Year holidays to reach 5.05 million people, with several flight routes expected to be the busiest during this period.
According to the Secretary of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation at the Ministry of Transportation, Achmad Setiyo Prabowo, said the total number of air passengers during the Christmas and New Year holidays will consist of 3.89 million domestic passengers and 1.15 million international passengers.
“We project the total number of passengers during the 2025/2026 Christmas and New Year period to reach 5,050,194 passengers,” Setiyo said in an official statement in Jakarta, Sunday (12/14, 2025).
Most Busy Domestic Flight Routes
Based on the Ministry of Transportation’s mapping, domestic routes with the highest passenger potential are still dominated by flights to and from Soekarno-Hatta Airport, including: (1) Jakarta–Denpasar, (2) Jakarta–Surabaya, (3). Jakarta–Medan, (4). Balikpapan–Jakarta.
Setiyo stated that the high demand for these routes is in line with the increasing need for year-end holiday travel, although the total increase in passengers is not significant compared to the previous Christmas and New Year period.
Meanwhile, for international flights, the routes predicted to be the busiest during the 2025/2026 Christmas and New Year period include: (1). Jakarta–Singapore, (2). Denpasar–Singapore, (3). Jakarta–Kuala Lumpur, (4). Denpasar–Kuala Lumpur.
“Public mobility continues to increase due to the high demand for Christmas and New Year holiday travel,” Setiyo affirmed.
In terms of fleet readiness, the Ministry of Transportation noted that there are 568 aircraft registered in Indonesia. However, only around 368 aircraft are operational, making fleet rotation more stringent, especially in the event of weather or technical disruptions.
To maintain ticket affordability, the government has prepared a number of incentives, including a 6% government-paid VAT, a fuel surcharge discount, a 50% discount on airport service fees, a reduction in aviation fuel prices at 37 airports, and extended airport operating hours.
“If combined, these policies could reduce ticket prices by around 12–13%. Furthermore, the Ministry of Transportation is ensuring that 257 airports across Indonesia are ready to serve Christmas and New Year’s transportation through thorough inspections of airside and landside facilities to ensure the safety and smoothness of passenger travel,” he concluded. [antaranews]
