EU Clears Runway for 2 More Indonesian Carriers
Jakarta Globe 2nd July 2010
Two more domestic airlines have won approval to fly to Europe, one year after the European Union allowed four other Indonesian carriers regained access to the continent, an air transportation chief said on Friday.
Herry Bhakti Singayuda, director general of air transportation at the Ministry of Transportation, said that the EU would officially announce that Batavia Air and Indonesia AirAsia will be allowed to fly routes to European Union member nations by the end of this month.
“[The EU] air transportation director [Daniel] Calleja told me that the two airlines have been released from the ban,” he said, adding that Batavia, Air Asia and Lion Air submitted proposals to the EU during a meeting in Brussels last week.
In 2007, the EU imposed a ban on all of the country’s 51 airlines, effectively blocking them from flying into European airspace.
The ban came on the back of a series of Indonesian crashes and a subsequent damning report by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The Montreal-based body found that Indonesian airlines’ safety and maintenance regimes fell well below European standards.
From 2004 to 2007, the rate of Indonesian airline crashes was about 15 times higher than that of the global average.
However, the ban and the ensuing public relations disaster that followed, forced local carriers to address the ICAO recommendations.
In 2009, the EU lifted the flight ban for Garuda Indonesia, Mandala Airlines, Airfast, and PrimeAir.
However, only Garuda has returned to the continent, with a route to Amsterdam.
Herry said for airlines to get off the no-fly list, they must already have achieved the nation’s top airworthiness category, which qualifies them for an Aviation Operator Certification issued by the ICAO.
Lion Air, which is in the top safety category, failed to convince the EU that it would be able to expand its fleet and coverage while maintaining high European safety standards.
“Out of three airlines we proposed, two were approved by the EU,” he said. “It is good that their confidence in our air safety and industry is increasing.”
Edward Sirait, a spokesman for Lion Air, said the airline was not planning to fly to Europe.
“What matters is that our airline will get international recognition if the ban is lifted,” Edward said, “not whether we will fly to Europe or not.”
Danang Parikesit, chairman of the Indonesian Transportation Society, said Indonesia had worked hard to win back the trust of the EU and travelers.
However, he said, safety should not be viewed as the sole responsibility of the airlines, but rather a cooperative relationship shared by carriers and the government.
“Safety should also be a major concern for the regulator as well,” he said.