Following approval from Indonesia’s COVID-19 task force, a number of airlines have reopened their domestic operations, with services rolling out gradually this month. All flights had previously been grounded in compliance with the government’s large scale social restrictions (PSBB).
Garuda Indonesia officially took to the sky yesterday (7/5), while Lion Air Group, which includes Lion Air, Wings Air and Batik Air, will resume domestic passenger flights from Sunday, 10th May 2020. New bookings can now be made for all these airlines via their counters, call centres and official websites.
Indonesia’s airlines remain in close contact with authorities to ensure the safety of all passengers and support the government’s fight against COVID-19. All flights will adhere to stringent health and safety protocols.
“We will apply a physical distancing policy in the cabin,” said Irfan Setiaputra, who is president-director of Garuda Indonesia. “Passengers will either be seated by the window or by the aisle,” he added.
Danang Mandala Prihantoro is Lion Air Group’s corporate communications strategic officer. “In the business class with two-seat configurations, we will apply a zig-zag seating arrangement,” he said. All airlines are expected to perform health checks on passengers and crew members prior to departure.
“We hope that with the Provincial PSBB, the residents of West Java can be in tune, can be one movement, one command, locking up the region, so we can maintain this downward trend,” said the governor. Based on government PSBB surveys in Bodebek and Greater Bandung, the movement of citizens is down to around 50% of usual activity. Officials are targeting 30% with the expansion of PSBB controls throughout the province.
In order to fly, passengers must provide ground staff with medical letters from hospitals stating that they are free from COVID-19. The airline will also require state officials to provide documents, including official letters of duty, employee IDs and letters explaining the purpose of travel.
As Indonesia relaxes travel restrictions in response to COVID-19, Panorama Destination will continue to monitor the news and update our social media channels with the latest information:
