Indonesia’s airline industry is eyeing increased competitiveness in the global aviation market after the European Commission removed all Indonesian air carriers from the EU Air Safety List.
“This is a beginning to start to become competitive,” Indonesian Minister of Transportation Budi Sumadi said, as quoted by state-run Antara News.
With this decision, several Indonesian airlines that have received international assessment have an opportunity to start operating flights on new routes to Europe, he added.
“It was a strategic decision and has become an anniversary gift for Indonesia. Following the clearance, we hope that several airlines, such as Garuda Indonesia, Citilink, and Lion Air, would receive high star awards,” Budi noted.
The European Union stated on June 14 that all airlines certified in Indonesia have been removed from the list, following further improvements to aviation safety in Indonesia.
All Indonesian carriers were put on the EU Air Safety List in 2007 due to unaddressed safety concerns.
Over the past years, seven Indonesian airlines, namely, flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, Airfast Indonesia, Ekspres Transportasi Antarbenua, Indonesia Air Asia, Citilink, Lion Air, and Batik, were removed from the list. However the rest, 55 in all, remained until the June 14 announcement.
With this, the remaining 55 have also been cleared and certified as meeting European air safety regulations, making a total of 62 air carriers off the list, Budi said.
“The repeal of the ban means that we, the regulator and operators, are considered to have fulfilled all international regulations,” he said.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said that the clearing of the airlines showed that years of hard work, diplomacy, and close cooperation have paid off.
“This is a result of years of hard work. Without good collaboration it would have been difficult for us to achieve this,” Marsudi said.
It also reflected international trust in Indonesian air carriers, and is expected to promote the country’s tourism industry and people-to-people contacts, she said.
The European Commission’s decision followed an assessment visit by an EU representative from March 12 to March 21 this year.
The decision is also in line with opinions from various international aviation agencies, such as the Flight Aviation Administration and International Civil Aviation Organization, which have recorded significant improvement efforts by Indonesia, said the report.
Photo: Riyad Filza
