The Discourse On Aircraft Passenger Capacity Returns To 100 Percent, Agree?

JAKARTA - Lion Air supports the discourse of increasing the capacity of aircraft passengers to return to normal. That is, maximized to 100 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic. As is known, currently the government is still limiting the number of passengers to a maximum of 70 percent.

Lion Air Group Airport Service Operations Director Wisnu Wijayanto said the recovery of the air transportation sector will help other sectors recover from the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For example, the tourism sector, in which there are travel agents, hotels and many other businesses, both large and home industries.

"We are ready if we are asked to collaborate with the Research and Development Agency of the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Health if there must be research that uses our facilities to 100 percent capacity (passengers)," he said, in a virtual discussion, Wednesday, September 23.

Wisnu explained, referring to the Ministry of Transportation's survey results on air transport, 66 respondents said they were reluctant to pay more for empty seats due to capacity restrictions. He said the public was still very sensitive to the costs incurred during a pandemic.

Furthermore, Wisnu said, as long as there were ways to reduce operational costs, the company would lower airplane ticket prices as a form of stimulus for prospective passengers. The effort is believed to be able to increase passenger interest in boosting occupancy.

On the other hand, Wisnu also asked the government to immediately take a policy to support the sustainability of the world of aviation. One of them is through providing a stimulus.

"We also hope that incentives can be realized related to flight navigation costs and deductions that have been discussed together," he said.

On the same occasion, University of Indonesia Sociology Lecturer Ricardi Adnan said, in providing incentives or stimuli for the air transportation industry, the government can emulate domestic countries. One of them, waiving rental fees.

"There are several things, if we look at Singapore or Malaysia, the incentives can come from the fuel tax itself. One of them can be from a reduction in rental fees," he said.

In addition, said Ricardi, the most suitable incentives for aviation could also be in the form of loans or restructuring. According to him, this can help a little breathing amid the pressure of COVID-19.

"So of course the airline industry or airlines have debts, yes, it can be rescheduled and it can be given specifically from the government," he said.

Previously, a flight observer from the Indonesian Air Power Study Center, Air Marshal Chappy Hakim, had previously proposed a review of aircraft passenger capacity. Chappy asked regulators to re-evaluate the 70 percent passenger load limit on planes without ignoring existing health protocols.

This opinion also refers to the placement of high efficiency particulate air or HEPA filter technology in aircraft. The facility is believed to be able to filter particles up to 99 percent and create clean air.