Jakarta. Dubai-based airline giant Emirates recently said that it had returned to the pre-pandemic level, as revenge travel surged amidst the lift of Covid-19 restrictions.

According to the airline’s country manager for Indonesia Mohammad Al Attar, the airline industry has seen a massive surge in travel demand over the past two years. Al Attar attributed it to the “revenge travel phenomenon” which involves traveling to make up for time missed due to the pandemic. Early in the year, Indonesia finally relaxed its restrictions. People are becoming more inclined to travel as a result.

“As a result, we are witnessing a backlog of travel from all parties. So, the 100 percent capacity in all our flights we're seeing now is virtually unprecedented," Al Attar told the Jakarta Globe in a recent interview.

Emirates said they were pleased with the demand and anticipate that it would persist, particularly in light of the fact that more countries are opening their borders. This is evident by the number of flights returning to airports across the globe. The demand seems to be continuing for the most part.

“The airline is excited, and is in discussion with authorities and stakeholders to determine how we can better and optimize this, as it is undoubtedly something we have never encountered before. And we are delighted to contribute to its growth ,” Al Attar said.

"There were 14 weekly flights between Jakarta and Bali before the outbreak and as of November, we are glad to report that these services have been fully restored. [...] Consequently, we are operating at a different level prior to a pandemic. The demand is relatively strong. Therefore, we are optimistic that the trend will continue," he added.

Emirates first began conducting business in Indonesia in 1992 and has kept expanding ever since. The airline giant has inked codeshare agreements with national flag carrier Garuda and airline Batik Air. According to Al-Attar, the codeshare agreements are crucial as Emirates only flies to two destinations in Indonesia, namely Jakarta and Bali.

"In order to support the demand feeding into those domestic points and outbound double domestic ones, that is where we rely on our partners. It has been quite beneficial," Al Attar told the Globe.

In 2021, Emirates inked a memorandum of commitment outlining joint marketing activities to promote Indonesian tourism. The signing took place at a time when travel restrictions were still in place in many countries. Emirates admitted to having struggled to effectively utilize the agreement.

"Throughout the entire process, we were in constant contact. Moreover, we are now in negotiations to raise, expand, and even renew campaigns for longer durations," Al Attar said.

“As Emirates, we are delighted to sponsor this initiative and promote inbound travel to Indonesia via our broad network,” he said.

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