Gasoline consumption in Indonesia up by 35% during Idul Fitri

Subsidized premium gasoline consumption in Indonesia went up by 35% above normal during Idul Fitri, the celebration that comes at the end of Ramadhan, the Muslim month of fasting. An estimated 5.1 million people traveled home for the holidays by motorcycles and cars. Pertamina spokesperson Mochammad Harun said, “Peak fuel consumption was 35% above normal levels of around 65,000 kiloliters per day.” He added that Pertamina estimated daily premium fuel consumption to reach 98,000 kiloleters during the holidays, which would have been a new record. Harun added that the figure was below estimates, because “the spike was spread over three days instead of accumulating in a single day.” The number of airline passengers also increased because tickets became more affordable. The top five destinations among local travelers were Surabaya, Denpasar, Bali, Medan, North Sumatra, Makassar and Yogyakarta.(September 2, 2011)