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RI reps to visit Europe for air safety talks
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 08/27/2007 1:41 PM
Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Despite ongoing issues domestically, Indonesian officials are set to travel to Belgium on Tuesday in an attempt to convince the European Commission in Brussels that Indonesia's commercial air transportation industry has made significant steps toward improving safety standards.
""We will report our air transport condition, human resources and capacity building on August 29,"" said Transportation Ministry Legal Division and Public Affairs head Rudi Richardo on Saturday.
But he said the commission was still ""in the stage of data gathering"".
On July 6 the EU prohibited Indonesian air carriers to enter European airspace on grounds of safety. Garuda Indonesia had planned to renew its service into the Netherlands, but no other carriers currently service the EU.
Several domestic airlines, including Garuda, have attempted to prove their progress by acquiring a safety certification from IATA, the International Air Transport Association, however, none have passed inspection.
Of the EU visit, Rudi said, ""Our hope is that after a discussion with all 27 countries, a representative ... can come to Indonesia for a verification"".
The Indonesian delegation would include representatives from the Directorate General of Air Transportation. Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal is not scheduled to depart.
Indonesian Transport Society (MTI) chairman Bambang Susantono said the Indonesian delegation needed to have impeccable communication skills in order to convince the commission.
""What caused the EU to slap the travel ban was miscommunication,"" Bambang said.
""Indonesia had made improvements at the time but was unrecognized because we failed to meet the deadline.""
Indonesia's communication on every level had to be improved, he said.
""The delegation should also use the diplomatic expertise of officials from the Foreign Affairs Ministry ... those diplomats understand the (cultural) context,"" Bambang said.
Relations with the General Authority of Civil Aviation from Saudi Arabia were more positive, because Indonesia had used ""a good diplomatic team"" in bilateral discussions, he said.
The travel ban has caused several European tourists to cancel their trips to Indonesia. The prohibition requires tour agencies to advise customers Indonesian airlines are unsafe, but significant losses have not been reported.
In March, a Garuda jet overshot the runway in Yogyakarta in Central Java and burst into flames, killing 21 people. In January, an Adam Air jetliner crashed into the sea off West Sulawesi. All 102 passengers and crew are presumed dead.
This month, two jetliners almost collided at the Juanda Airport's runway in East Jakarta.
Critics blame the disorder on bad air traffic control systems, pilot error and a disregard for regulations.
