Pertamina offers 20 percent off avtur in eastern Indonesia during holiday traffic

State-owned oil company Pertamina will temporarily slash aviation turbine fuel (avtur) prices by 20 percent at selected airports in eastern Indonesia ahead of expected heavy traffic during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The promotion will run from Dec. 9 to Jan. 31 at airports in Manado, North Sulawesi; Ambon, Maluku; and Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, among other cities that serve as transit hubs to eastern regions' cities, said the company in a statement on Monday.

“With our large distribution infrastructure, Pertamina can serve aviation fuel for airports in hard-to-reach locations,” said Pertamina spokeswoman Fajriyah Usman.

Company records show that fuel consumption at airports in the eastern part of Indonesia, which has several majority-Christian regions, rises up to 20 percent during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

"We are offering an aviation fuel discount to facilitate the transportation of people and support the aviation industry,” Fajriyah added.

Earlier this year, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo called upon Pertamina to lower its avtur prices following complaints from tourism and hospitality players that high fuel costs increased flight ticket costs and thus, limited hotel occupancy rates.