New Normal adaptation, AP II sees passenger numbers surge

Last updated on May 7th, 2021 at 05:46 am

State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II) noted the request for the use of airport services in line with the adaptation of new or new normal life.

The adaptation period which began on June 8, 2020, the number of passengers on domestic and international routes began to creep up.

Recently issued Transportation Ministry circular letter no. 13/2020 allows for an increase in passenger numbers per flight to 70 percent of the respective aircraft’s capacity, up from the previous 50 percent.

AP II President Director Muhammad Awaluddin said, since air transportation was reopened on 8-9 June 2020 the average passenger flow at 19 AP II airports was recorded at 7,000 every day.

The number then doubled on 10 June 2020 to 14,700 passengers, with the highest number recorded by Soekarno-Hatta Airport, which reached 6,038 passengers.

“The number of passengers is slowly rising and stakeholders in our airports are working to ensure the health protocols are implemented,” the company’s president director Muhammad Awaluddin said on Thursday, June 11, in an official statement.

Pandemic-related large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) have severely limited demand for air travel. According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the number of domestic air passengers fell 85.18 percent year-on-year (yoy) in April to around 840,000, while international air passenger numbers fell 98.26 percent yoy.

He said that at this time a number of airlines, such as Lion Air, had also resumed operations following Garuda Indonesia and Citilink which had operated earlier.

The increase also occurred in cargo transportation. On June 10, 2020, cargo volume recorded the highest figure this June with 1.65 million kilograms. Soekarno-Hatta specifically on that date the cargo volume reached 1.2 million kilograms.

During the adaptation of new habits, PT Angkasa Pura II remains consistent in implementing the Smart Airport concept that can support current operations and services and when entering a new normal era.

The implementation of Smart Airport, among others, is through the presence of various touchless facilities such as smart helmets, as well as integrated information technology systems to maintain the smooth operation of airports in all conditions.

To prevent crowding at airports, AP II is also planning to launch a mobile application called Travelation to allow passengers to upload the required documents to board and simplify the checking process.

For example a PCR test result or rapid test to be digitally checked, so that the inspection at the airport can be done more simply but still strictly.