Managers Are Sure There Will Be No More Crowds At Soekarno-Hatta Airport

Soekarno Hatta Airport (Photo: angkasapura2.co.id)

JAKARTA - Soekarno-Hatta Airport managers are sure that there will be no more cases of accumulation of passenger queues that cause crowds like what happened a few days ago.

Head of the Class 1 Port Health Office of Soetta Airport, Anas Ma'ruf, said that his party immediately evaluated the file management protocol for prospective passengers who were a requirement for using flight services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"At that time, because of the morning flight, many people flew. And they did not know the rules from the start. Now it is neat. And now there are adjustments, repairs, and it doesn't happen again like yesterday," said Anas at Graha BNPB, East Jakarta, Thursday, May 21.

Anas explained the cause of the buildup of passengers at Soekarno Hatta Airport at the beginning of the reopening of flight services for passengers on May 14. Anas said, that morning many domestic flights were operating within a short period of time.

In fact, said Anas, the airport manager calculated the number of passengers on that day was still normal. For 24 hours, there are only about 1,500 passengers using the flight service.

"Based on our daily monitoring, the number of passengers is not up to 1,500. Even now it is almost the same. However, maybe at that time there was a flight with almost the same time," he said.

For information, the problem began with the criticism of netizens on social media at the reopening of the airport for passengers. In the circulating photos, there are hundreds of potential passengers. Even though they wear masks, they do not keep the distance as instructed by the government to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Senior Manager of Branch Communication and Legal of Soetta Airport, Febri Toga Simatupang, confirmed the buildup of prospective passengers. This happened at Terminal 2 Gate 4 of Soekarno Hatta Airport at around 04.00 WIB, Thursday, May 14.

The queue for prospective passengers occurred because there was an examination of three documents, namely flight tickets, official certificates and COVID-19 free certificates before flying to the destination city. If the prospective passengers meet these three requirements, the officer will invite them to participate in the pilot.

"Yes, it is true (queues). There is special treatment prior to this departure because at least the passenger must fulfill three important documents," said Febri to VOI.

As a result, Soetta Airport managers made new policies related to the passenger queuing system, limiting flight frequency and the number of passengers on each flight only 50 percent of the aircraft seat capacity. This rule starts today.

"We have evaluated and then implemented a new policy. This morning, May 15, 2020, the departure process for passengers on domestic routes went smoothly at Soekarno-Hatta, both in Terminals 2 and 3," said President Director of PT Angkasa Pura II Muhammad. Awaluddin.

From now on, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the passenger queue system at Terminal 2 is divided into 4 posts. The first post is verification of prospective passenger documents which is carried out on the curb side or near the entrance to the terminal building.

Then, the second post in the terminal building is a place where prospective passengers fill out a Health Alert Card (HAC) and epidemiological forms, as well as body temperature measurements.

Soetta Airport managers and aviation stakeholders have agreed that the slot is only 5 to 7 flights per hour at Terminal 2 so that it doesn't accumulate too much at certain hours.

Stakeholders also agreed that the airline would only carry passengers no more than 50 percent of the total seat capacity of the aircraft. The capacity regulation here is contained in the Regulation of the Minister of Transportation Number PM 18 of 2020 concerning Control of Transportation in the Context of Preventing the Spread of COVID-19.