T

he European Union’s Air Safety Committee has lifted a ban on four Indonesian cargo airlines from flying into the EU.

The ban removal was outlined in the Official Journal of the European Union as the European Union (EU) released its latest update of the “List of airlines banned within the EU” on Thursday.

“This update removes the previous ban on the operations of four Indonesian all cargo air carriers — Cardig Air, Republic Express, Asia Link and Air Maleo,” the European Commission said in a press statement published on its website, http://ec.europa.eu/transport/index_en.htm.

“This is due to solid enforcement action taken by the Indonesian authorities to ensure that their operations are safe,” the Commission said.

It said in its official journal that it had chosen to remove the bans after holding a video conference with Indonesian authorities on March 11, during which the latter informed them that all air carriers in Indonesia, with the exception of Wings Air, had undergone re-certification.

The Indonesian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also informed the commission that only 9 percent of the aircraft operating in Indonesia had yet to be fitted with the required International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) equipment.

“The DGCA [also informed that it] had issued an exemption permitting operations until the end of 2011 and that aircraft not fitted after this date would be grounded.

“The Air Safety Committee takes note of these developments and encourages the competent
authorities of Indonesia to continue their efforts to enhance the oversight of air carriers under their regulatory responsibility,” the journal read.

A total of 10 Indonesian airlines have been removed from the EU flight ban list, including national airline Garuda Indonesia, Airfast Indonesia, Mandala Airlines, Ekspres Transportasi Antarbenua, Indonesia Air Asia and Metro Batavia.

The European Union slapped a ban on all Indonesian airlines in 2007 citing poor safety records following a string of accidents.

The ban was partially lifted in 2009, allowing Garuda to resume flights to Amsterdam in 2010. The flag carrier stopped its flights to Europe late 2004 as part of its consolidation measures.