Dayat, Jakarta – State-owned railway operator Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) revealed on Sunday that the company had lost Rp 3.5 billion (nearly $207,000) due to ticket cancellations from the Pekalongan flood.

Floods in the Central Javan city of Pekalongan has forced KAI to cancel 82 passenger trips. The flood-induced loss is expected to rise following the cost of rail infrastructure recovery. KAI also had to cancel 16 freight trips following a heavy rain that struck Pekalongan since Saturday.

"We had to refund 18,000 tickets [because of the bad weather]. This is a 100% refund," KAI President Director Bobby Rasyidin told a press briefing.

The disaster prevented KAI from enjoying the long holiday boon. Indonesians enjoyed a three-day long weekend starting on Friday, because of the Isra Mi'raj holiday. KAI reported to have sold almost 258,000 tickets for the long weekend vacationers.

"We would like to sincerely apologize for this inconvinience, lateness, and the cancellation of 82 trips. We had to do this to ensure safety amid this force majeure," Bobby said.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/business/rail-operator-kai-loses-almost-207000-from-pekalongan-floo