Jonan made the statement after a closed-door meeting with Jokowi on Thursday at the Presidential Office.

"The President is concerned that insurance for the [next of kin of the] passengers should be paid. I told [him] that there is indeed a regulation covering the matter: Transportation Ministry Regulation No. 77/2011 which states an amount of Rp 1.25 billion [US$98,750] per passenger," Jonan said.

"It has nothing to do with whether or not the airline is covered by any insurance company; Rp 1.25 billion per passenger should be paid by the airline."

Previous media reports said AirAsia had only given forms for initial compensation of Rp 300 million per victim.

Meanwhile, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) has urged insurance companies covering AirAsia to complete claim payments for the 155 passengers on board the plane.

AirAsia Indonesia president director Sunu Widiyatmoko, however, has said the airline had ensured each victim would receive Rp 1.25 billion in compensation, which would be disbursed when the recovery and identification process was complete.

Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini has said her administration was ready to sue AirAsia should it ignore the rights of the victims'€™ families, following the suspension of the airline'€™s flight permit from the East Java city to Singapore.

Her administration has been continuing to collect data on the victims, including their valuables and belongings, which will later be used for insurance purposes and matters related to the beneficiary rights of the affected families. (nfo)(+++)

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