At the Batu Sisir Bukit Arai Office, Regent of Natuna, Cen Sui Lan, led the 2024 Air Transport Coordination Meeting for flights to and from Natuna on Monday morning (10/03).
Recently, there has been a noticeable decline in community mobility, particularly for those using air transportation. This situation has been caused by various factors, reflecting the current economic downturn affecting many residents.
This decline has had a multifaceted impact, including a decrease in air travel demand, which has significantly affected the profitability of airline businesses.
However, what is most concerning is that the flight schedule for the two airlines serving the Natuna-Batam and Batam-Natuna routes is currently limited to weekends, with a four-day gap before the next available flight.
Cen Sui Lan emphasized that such a schedule poses a major inconvenience, particularly for potential investors who require high mobility. Therefore, she urged the airline representatives to reconsider and reschedule their flight operations.
Nam Air’s Natuna representative, Yati Erawani, stated that from March 1 to March 15, the airline could only operate one flight per week, specifically on Saturdays.
She explained that Nam Air previously operated three flights per week but had to reduce the number of flights due to a significant drop in passenger numbers.
However, she also confirmed that from March 20 to March 29, Nam Air would resume its previous schedule to support increased travel demand ahead of Eid al-Fitr.
Similarly, Wings Air’s Natuna manager, Samsul, noted that in the previous month, passenger occupancy rates reached 80%, but in the following month, they dropped to 14%, resulting in only six flights per month.
He further explained that starting March 20, Wings Air would also reinstate its regular flight schedule, hoping that ahead of Eid al-Fitr 1446 Hijriyah, air travel in Natuna would experience a surge in demand. (Pro-Kopim/D&S)
RILIS PERS, Number : 0447/PRO_KOPIM/2025
