Indonesia sets up special office at ICAO

The re-opening of the Indonesian office at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in
Montreal, Canada, will help Indonesia to improve its aviation industry and strengthen its cooperation with the international body, Deputy Transportation Minister Bambang Susantono said on Friday.

“This is our commitment to the world that Indonesia is improving its aviation sector because we care for the safety and security in this sector,” Bambang told the press in Jakarta via teleconference from Montreal.

He said that the ministry’s human resource department had signed an agreement with ICAO for technical assistance.

ICAO would post two experts in the Indonesian office for the next 10 years and the ministry budgeted Rp 8 billion (US $896,000) to upgrade aviation systems in Curug over the next two years.

He said that the agreement was part of the Management Service Agreement (MSA) that would strengthen four key areas in the country’s aviation sector, including by enhancing the safety oversight capability of the Indonesian Directorate General for Civil Aviation, supporting the civil aviation transformation team, upgrading civil aviation training, and by assisting the representation of Indonesia to the ICAO.

“We have to re-open our office because we see an urgent situation where passenger traffic has reached up to 125 million in 2011, a significant jump from 106 million in 2010,” he said.

Indonesia used to have an office at the ICAO from 1962 to 2001 as Indonesia was a member of the ICAO council. However, when Indonesia was not elected as council member in 2001, the government shut down the office.

From 2002 until now, Indonesia was just another member among the ICAO’s 190 other members.

“We are aiming to become a member of the council again in 2013 because it will benefit us in many ways,” Bambang said.

He said among the benefits, Indonesia’s membership of the ICAO council would ease communication and collaboration with other international organizations such as the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) and the International Federation of Airline Pilots Association (IFALPA).

In addition, he said that the government would work hard to improve the aviation sector, noting that a lack of progress in the sector after Indonesia was no longer a member of the council.

Air traffic safety has long been a major concern for the country’s aviation industry.

The worst crash in Indonesia happened in 2007 when an Adam Air Boeing 737-400 on Jan. 1 crashed in the Majene waters, Central Sulawesi, killing all 102 passengers and crew onboard. To date, no bodies have been found.

In the same year, a Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737-400 crashed in Yogyakarta, killing 21 passengers, injuring many others.

As a consequence, Indonesia was banned from flying to Europe by the European Commission in 2007.

Indonesian Ambassador to Canada Dienne Dhardianti Mohario said that the re-opening of an Indonesian office at the ICAO showed strong diplomatic relations between both nations.

“This is a great moment because Indonesia and Canada just celebrated their 60th, or ‘diamond’, anniversary of diplomatic relations,” Dienne told reporters.

She said that Canada saw Indonesia as major player in ASEAN this year, after the country’s sovereign debt rating attained investment grade.

“Indonesia and Canada’s partnership is getting stronger in every sector,” she said. (nfo)