Indonesian aviation sector tipped for full recovery in 2026

Indonesia’s aviation sector is expected to make a full recovery by 2026, contingent on vaccines and the successful containment of the pandemic. Domestic and international flight volumes are predicted to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024 and in 2026, respectively, according to a white paper by Padjadjaran University and commissioned by the Indonesia National Air Carriers Association. At a 15 April virtual presentation of the white paper, UNPAD researchers outlined three recovery scenarios ranging from optimistic to moderate to pessimistic. Under the moderate outlook, they expect domestic air travel recovery to start in early 2022 and international air traffic to improve by the end of 2023. They predict domestic passenger volumes will reach nearly 78.7m in December 2024, almost surpassing the 79m passengers in 2019. “Vaccination is a game changer for the recovery of the aviation sector in Indonesia, so there is a need for policies and regulations to accelerate the vaccination programme so that the herd immunity can be reached and activities supporting the aviation sector are created,” they say.<br/>