aviation

3 Indonesian Airlines Experience Fleet Limitations For Umrah Flights

The Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) revealed that a number of national airlines are experiencing fleet limitations to serve Umrah pilgrim flights, along with high market demand. 

Director of Air Transportation of the Directorate General of Air Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation, Agustinus Budi Hartono, said that airlines such as Garuda Indonesia, Lion Group, and Citilink are currently experiencing fleet limitations for Umrah flights. 

"The Umrah market in Indonesia is quite large. But frankly, the number of aircraft fleets that can serve Hajj and Umrah pilgrims is very limited," said Agustinus during a Working Committee (Panja) Meeting with Commission VIII of the DPR, at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Wednesday (14/5). 

Agustinus revealed that Garuda Indonesia has submitted a wet lease scheme or complete aircraft rental to overcome the shortage of fleet after this year's Hajj season. The plan is, three aircraft will continue the rental scheme to serve Umrah flights in the near future. 

"So there are three planes that will probably be continued, Sir, rented by Garuda. So the interest is for Umrah flights. Well, that is indeed one way to be able to increase the fleet for now," he continued. 

According to Agustinus, the limited number of wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 is a challenge in itself. Foreign airlines are considered more competitive because they have a larger number of large aircraft, so they can serve long-range routes with better cost efficiency. 

"Because our number of large aircraft is limited, the rental price is also more expensive. This is what makes competition with foreign airlines quite tight," he added. 

Tag: Airlines Indonesian Lion Group Umrah