Idul Fitri Travelers Forecast to Reach 19.29 Million

Jakarta (Antara) - Minister of Transportation Evert Erenst Mangindaan on Wednesday forecast that the number of travelers during the annual Idul Fitri exodus will reach 19.29 million, increasing 3.83 percent than the previous year. The government predicts that home-bound traffic for the Muslim holidays will peak during the three days before D-Day and a day after, while the return traffic will be at its highest on the fourth and fifth day after the Idul Fitri holiday. Around 5.59 million travelers are forecast to return home by road with 2.37 million people by motorcycles and 1.78 million by private vehicles, the minister noted. Meanwhile, train passengers were predicted to rise 3.1 percent to 4.49 million, while the number of air travelers is expected to rise 11.48 percent to 4.1 million passengers. About 3.54 million passengers will use rivers, lakes, and inter-island ferry services, and 1.57 million will use sea transportation. "Adequate preparations should be made as the number of passengers during Idul Fitri will increase," the minister emphasized. The Ministry's Air Transportation Director Djoko Murdjatmodjo earlier stated that five airlines had proposed additional flights to anticipate the increase in passenger traffic during the 2014 Idul Fitri exodus. The airlines are Sriwijaya Air, Nam Air, Lion Air, Indonesia Air Asia, and Garuda Indonesia. Sixteen additional flights will be made available for 16 days for seven days before and after the D-Day. "A total of 903 flights will be made available during the 16 days," Djoko added.(*)