Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - The number of air passengers from and to Bengkulu province before and after Idul Fitri festivities will increase 2 percent of the normal monthly number of 26 thousand, an airport official said.

"We predict the number of air passengers will increase by 2 percent and Batavia Air has prepared extra flights," the chief of the Fatmawati Airport in Bengkulu, Syamsul Banri said here on Wednesday.

The management of Batavia Air had decided to increase the number of its flights from Jakarta to Bengkulu or the other way around from August 23 to September 9, 2011, he said.

This meant that the airline company would serve the route seven times a day, he said.

In addition, Lion Air would also increase the number of its flights to three times a day and Sriwijaya Air to twice a day.

Under the policy of the director general of air transportation, the upper limit of air tickets for the Jakarta-Bengkulu route was set at Rp1.1 million and the lower limit at Rp275 thousand, he said.

To control the increase in the prices of air tickets, the management of the airport would supervise travel agents and ticket counters at the airport, he said.

"Our officers will monitor developments in ticket prices," he said. (*)