Kotabaru, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The Kotabaru DPRD's Commission II along with relevant agencies discussed air transportation issues ahead of the 2026 Eid al-Fitr homebound trip (mudik).
Chair of the commission Abu Suwandi emphasized the importance of maintaining the continuity of flight services in Kotabaru. If passengers continue to decline due to high prices, airlines could potentially reduce frequencies or even stop services.
“If this continues, we afraid flights will become less or even stop. Yet the airport is vital for mobility and regional economy,” he said here as reported on Wednesday.
DPRD, he said, is attempting to ensure the the Kotabaru–Banjarmasin flight route continue to operate optimally and without burdening the public.
The Commission II highlighted not only fare issue, but also the frequent and sudden flight cancellation.
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The council requested the airline to consider social impact on passengers, especially ahead of holiday (mudik) season.
Representative of Wings Air, Muhammad Fitryan, explained that fare and operation policies are entirely the authority of central management, his office in region only report numbers of passenger.
He revealed that in February several flights were canceled due to fewer than 10 passengers. However, the trend ahead of Eid began to show an increase.
Meanwhile, the Commission II meeting resulted the formulation of several steps, including direct coordination with the Lion Group central management, opening communication with other airlines to encourage fare competition, and requesting the flight cancellation to be notified in advance so that people have alternative travel option.
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Deputy Chair of Commission II HM Suhartono emphasized that public interest is the top priority.
“We want to ensure that transportation runs well ahead of Eid, ticket prices are reasonable, and people are not disavantaged,” he concluded.
In this discussion, the issue of high ticket price was a major focus.
The Kotabaru–Banjarmasin ticket which ranges from Rp1.3 million to Rp1.4 million was considered quite a burden and caused the decline in passenger numbers. This condition is feared to impact the stability of future flight schedule.
