INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta- Airline carrier (LCC) Citilink Indonesia prepares 15,480 seats to anticipate passengers on the Lunar New Year holiday which falls on Friday (16/2/2018).

"During the Lunar New Year holiday and the long weekend starting on 11 - 24 February 2018, we will prepare an additional 15,480 seats to accommodate the needs of passengers who will celebrate Lunar or holiday," said Vice President Corporate Communication Citilink Indonesia Benny S Butarbutar in Jakarta , yesterday.

He said the addition of flight (extra flight) is focused on three main destinations that always busy at Lunar holiday, namely Tanjung Pandan, Pangkal Pinang and Pontianak.

"The flights on these three routes each get a one-time increase in frequency to two times a day," Benny said.

Regarding flights to other solid destinations, such as Denpasar, Surabaya and Medan, over the long weekend, Citilink Indonesia does not impose additional flight frequencies as it can accommodate existing market demand.

Entering the Lunar New Year 2018, an increase in bookings began to be seen since extra flight sales began to take effect earlier this week.

Benny said ticket bookings appear to be increasing, but the possibility of a passenger surge has been anticipated by the addition of extra flights, especially in three solid destinations, Tanjung Pandan, Pangkalpinang and Pontianak.

Previously, he mentioned the average flight occupancy in these three destinations reached 70 percent, estimated in the upcoming Lunar holidays that figure will jump to 95 - 100 percent.

"During 2017, Citilink Indonesia has added five flights in Indonesia and internationally: Jayapura, Kendari, Gorontalo, Ambon and Silangit, and Dili, East Timor," he said.

Citilink Indonesia's passenger growth has recorded a significant increase in the last five years.

In 2012 there were 2.8 million passengers, then jumped to 5.3 million passengers in 2013.

Meanwhile, in 2014 it continues to grow rapidly to reach 8.2 million passengers, in 2015 as many as 9.5 million passengers, then in 2016 reached 11, 8 million passengers, and reached the number of 12.6 million passengers in 2017.