The Head of Commission V of the DPR Protes to the Minister of Transportation: Domestic Air Tickets are Expensive

ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/Edwin Petrus

JAKARTA - The Chairman of Commission V of the DPR, Lasarus, protested the too expensive domestic air ticket prices to the Minister of Transportation, Dudy Purwagandhi. The reason is that the price of tickets for inter-provincial travel can reach Rp. 15 million compared to traveling abroad.

"We have received many complaints about the cost of tickets, this is expensive, especially air transportation. I opened it, for example, Garuda, Jakarta-Manado on March 17 on Traveloka it was Rp11 million one way. Then Jakarta-Jayapura it was Rp15 million Rp15.7 million, then Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur it was Rp8 million Jakarta-Bangkok 13 million, Jakarta-Singapore Rp9 million," said Lasarus in a meeting with the Ministry of Transportation at the DPR building, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday, March 11.

"There is a tendency to be more expensive when flying out, it's a bit strange," he continued.

Lasarus asked the Minister of Transportation to explain the reason for the high cost of air tickets, especially the domestic route. If the reason is because of fuel, then the government needs to mitigate.

"Will the minister explain this ticket's cost, we have repeatedly asked the government to mitigate. One example is that we also get input from our airline friends, that in Indonesia taking a plane is still a luxury, even though today everyone is taking a plane, it is no longer a luxury category, because it is a luxury. He is taxed as a luxury, that is one example," said the PDIP legislator from the West Kalimantan II District.

According to Lasarus, the government has not wanted to eliminate luxury goods taxes on plane tickets until today. "Then the spare parts are spare parts, then also about avtur, avtur is already expensive because of the tax. So I think this must have a formula, Mr. Minister of Transportation to find a way out of this understanding of the ticket," he said.

"Because if we don't, we will be stuck here, sir, it's a pity for our people and society, they are treated differently from their neighbors, yes, locally in Malaysia it is much cheaper than us, domestic yes, domestic in Bangkok is much cheaper than us domestic in Indonesia is very expensive, even more expensive than when we fly abroad. This is strange in this magic, sir, minister," continued Lasarus.

He assessed that the problem of the high cost of domestic air tickets must be resolved. Moreover, all airlines or airlines were present in a meeting with the Commission V of the DPR.

"How to reduce this point, of course, we will analyze that it must not touch the minimum operational airlines, if the minimum operational is affected by the aircraft, it cannot fly, plus the economy is complicated," said Lasarus.

"So I think we have to find a way out, so that we can stop this complaint about the cost of tickets," he concluded.