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Indonesia seeks 'partial' lifting of flight ban
National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia may be allowed to fly to Europe as early as November, with the government seeking a "partial" revocation of a ban on Indonesian airlines from entering the region
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National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia may be allowed to fly to Europe as early as November, with the government seeking a "partial" revocation of a ban on Indonesian airlines from entering the region.
The European Commission (EC) ban applies to all Indonesian airlines, but with efforts to lift the ban progressing slowly, the government is now calling on the EU to revoke the ban on Garuda at least, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said here over the weekend.
Hassan was part of an Indonesian delegation, led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, that visited Beijing from Oct. 22 to 26 to take part in the seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).
Leaders from the two continents used the ASEM summit to discuss measures needed to tackle the global financial crisis. The meeting turned out to be a prelude to a highly anticipated summit of developed and emerging economies in Washington next month to draw up collective measures to prevent the world from slipping into recession.
On the sidelines of the ASEM summit, Yudhoyono met with Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the EC -- the executive arm of the European Union -- and French President Nicolas Sarkozy who is the current EU president.
Hassan confirmed that Indonesia's request to revoke the ban on Garuda was one of the issues discussed during the meeting with Barroso and Sarkozy.
"The response was good. It (partial revocation) has happened before. They said they would look into it," he said, adding that a decision might be made during the EU meeting in November.
Garuda has no direct flights to Europe but had hoped to introduce some. The airline claims it has met all the necessary requirements on safety standards and has boasted a few awards from internationally recognized aviation safety agencies.
The EU imposed the ban in mid-2007 due to safety concerns following a spate of fatal accidents involving Indonesian airlines.
Garuda president Emirsyah Satar said the company appreciated the government's efforts and would leave the decision to the EC.
"On our part, I think we have done enough (to meet the safety requirements). It's out of our hands now. We'll just have to wait and see," Emirsyah said Sunday.
