Ticket sales of domestic low-cost carriers in Indonesia have declined up to 20 percent after the Transportation Ministry implemented new (higher) surcharge fees for airline tickets on 26 February 2014. The new fuel surcharge was needed to offset the negative influence of sharp rupiah depreciation in 2013, which led to rising jet fuel prices, as well as low passenger rates amid the current low season. The Indonesia National Air Carrier Association (INACA) had previously requested for the new surcharge as Indonesia's aviation industry was in jeopardy.

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The aviation industry in the Asia-Pacific region has shown robust growth in recent years. This region is one of the world's fastest growing regions in terms of air travel. In the next 20 years, an average annual seven percent growth of air traffic is expected. Indonesia, the current engine of economic growth in Southeast Asia and one of the largest economies in the Asia-Pacific, contains a burgeoning middle class that is increasingly using airplanes for domestic as well as international transport.

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State-owned airline Merpati Nusantara Airlines will sell between 30 and 35 percent of its shares to domestic or foreign investors. The government feels the need to sell a stake as the airline has a debt of about IDR 6 trillion (USD $603 million). Most of this debt, about IDR 4 trillion, is held in Indonesia (government and state-owned enterprises). As such, the company is in need of new funds to restructure its business model. Last year, the airline carried 2.1 million passengers.

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The mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on Saturday 7 March 2014 reminds us that flying does not go without risks. Although it is popularly said that flying in an airplane is safer than driving in a car - and despite the fact that Malaysia Airlines is a world-class airline - it is worth taking a closer look at the current state of aviation in the Asia Pacific, Indonesia in particular, as air traffic in the Asia Pacific has been booming (and budget airlines mushroomed) in recent years due to the expanding middle class.

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One of the industries that has been showing remarkable growth in recent years in Indonesia is the aviation industry. Blessed with robust macro economic growth and a burgeoning middle class, the country's population is increasingly using airplanes as means of transportation. Considering the magnitude of Indonesia, its island rich composition and underdeveloped road and rail network, air travel is an efficient option.

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