RI mulls air ban retaliation

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 07/05/2007 10:47 AM

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The European Commission decided Wednesday to ban all Indonesian airlines, including national flag carrier Garuda Nusantara, from the 27-nation bloc.

In response, the Indonesian government, while regretting the ban, warned of possible retaliation if the EC refuses to hold talks on the issue.

The ban, taken as a follow-up to recent recommendations by a committee of air safety experts, will officially take effect on July 6, Reuters reported from Brussels.

The recommendations came last week following a string of deadly crashes in Indonesia over the past years, which put the government's ability to provide and monitor adequate safety assurances in the aviation industry under serious question.

At present, there are no direct flights linking Indonesia with any cities within the bloc, although Garuda had announced plans to resume flights to Amsterdam next year after it stopped the service in 2004.

The ban also will oblige tourist agencies offering package tours using domestic carriers in the archipelago to warn customers about the safety standards of Indonesian airlines.

With around 600,000 to 800,000 European tourists visiting the country annually, the ban would surely have an impact on Indonesia's tourism sector, which has not yet fully recovered from its recent slump following a series of bomb attacks in the country.

Indonesian Transportation Minister Jusman Syafei Djamal told reporters Wednesday the ban was unfair and that his ministry was considering retaliatory measures against the EU.

""We regret their decision as the EU never gave us a chance for a dialogue. The President has asked me to look for ways to fairly retaliate against them.""

Jusman said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono instructed his ministry to provide explanations to the EU over what the government has been doing and is still doing to improve the safety of the nation's air transportation.

""We will soon do that,"" he said.

If the EU refuses to budge, Jusman said, the government will not rule out retaliatory measures such as banning Indonesian citizens from flying with European airlines.

""But the truth is, we have to avoid such actions. My point is there has to be international cooperation. There has to be room for dialogue.""

The EU will also ban Angolan Airlines TAAG and Ukrainian cargo operator Volare Aviation Enterprise, and even warned Angola that retaliatory measures would not help get its airline off the EU's blacklist.

British Airways said Monday Angola's civil aviation authority had rescinded BA's permit to fly into the African country, prompting concerns about retaliation over the EU blacklist decision.

A spokesman for Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said as reported by Reuters that such actions would undermine any possibility of removing TAAG from EU restrictions.

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