Antara, Jakarta – According to data from OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited, a travel intelligence agency based in London, Soekarno-Hatta Airport (Soetta) claimed the title of the busiest airport in Southeast Asia in April 2024.
Angkasa Pura II (AP II), the operator of Soetta Airport, reported that the airport's flight seat capacity reached 3.34 million seats in April 2024, the highest among airports in the Southeast Asia region.
Cin Asmoro, Vice President of Corporate Communication at AP II, said the 2024 Eid al-Fitr exodus period, which ran from April 3 to 18, contributed to Soetta Airport's status as the busiest airport in Southeast Asia.
"The 16-day Eid al-Fitr transportation period has propelled Soekarno-Hatta Airport to become the busiest airport in Southeast Asia. With good cooperation between AP II, airlines, and regulatory support, we were able to meet the high demand during the peak Eid al-Fitr transportation," said Cin on Wednesday.
According to a survey by the Transportation Ministry, approximately there were 193.6 million movements nationwide, indicating that about 71.7 percent of Indonesia's population partake in the Eid exodus tradition.
Meanwhile, Changi Airport in Singapore and Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand ranked second and third as the busiest airports in Southeast Asia in April 2024, according to OAG data.
Dwi Ananda, Executive General Manager of Soetta Airport, explained that during April 3-15, the number of passenger movements at Soetta Airport reached 2.02 million people, a 7 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023, which reached 1.88 million people.
During this period, airlines also operated 994 additional flights at Soetta Airport.
The busiest flight destinations from Soetta Airport during the 2024 Eid al-Fitr transportation were Denpasar with 336,610 passengers, Medan with 251,699 passengers, Surabaya with 197,731 passengers, Makassar with 170,596 passengers, and Padang with 166,218 passengers.
Soekarno-Hatta Airport is currently served by three passenger terminals, namely Terminal 1, Terminal 2, and Terminal 3, all of which are interconnected by a sky train to facilitate passenger mobility.