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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Indonesia's Airport Tax to Soon Be Included In Ticket Price, Minister Says

Departure taxes levied by airports — which at present need to be paid in cash and in person — will be included in the price of flight tickets within three months for at least one airline, State Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan said on Tuesday.

The new policy on passenger service charges aims to reduce congestion, with the minister confident it will reduce airport queuing times by at least half.

“Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia will implement the new policy in September,” Dahlan said, adding that the airline’s information technology system was ready to be integrated with the country’s airports.

He said other airlines would follow Garuda’s lead for fear of being left behind.

Currently, passengers at Indonesian airports have to proceed through security scanners, check-in counters and service charge payment before they can enter the boarding area, said the minister, who dubbed the current system “primitive.”

Dahlan said the government was also developing a new system to reduce check-in times, but refused to elaborate.

At Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the current passenger service charge is Rp 40,000 ($4.25) for domestic flights and Rp 150,000 for international flights.

Soekarno-Hatta served 51 million passengers last year; its maximum capacity is notionally 22 million passengers.

Antara

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