Jakarta. State-controlled airlines Garuda Indonesia, the country's flag carrier, and its subsidiary Citilink Indonesia will soon double the number of their aircraft in operation to increase the supply in the domestic air travel market, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir said Wednesday.  

The remark came following President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's instruction earlier this week to help push down airline ticket prices in the domestic market. 

"Currently, there are 61 Garuda and Citilink aircraft, and the number will be increased to 120 aircraft by the end of 2022,"  Erick said after attending a limited cabinet meeting with the President.

"Per the President's instructions, we continue to reduce ticket prices," Erick said.

The number of aircraft in the aviation industry in Indonesia has decreased, and many are due to the sluggish aviation business due to the pandemic.

However, as the handling of Covid-19 improved, the number of ferries increased again, and at the same time, the fuel price rose, triggering soaring ticket prices.

According to the company's latest financial report, Garuda controlled 69 aircraft and Citilink 58.

However, according to Planespotter.com, half of Garuda's aircraft and a third of Citilink's were not flown for more than four days and parked in various airports across the country due to maintenance or lighter flying schedules, according to Planespotters.net, an aircraft monitoring website.