Albert Burhan - Citilink president director (JP/Jerry Adiguna)

Low-cost carriers Lion Air and Citilink will not fly to Europe anytime soon even though they have obtained clearance to enter the region following the removal of a ban by the European Commission.

The ban was imposed in 2007 and lifted on Thursday. However, for the airlines, the removal is considered more of a prestige issue as their safety standards are now recognized internationally.

Lion Air Group CEO Edward Sirait said that with the acknowledgment, the airline could now “enter any country’s market”, claiming that it had been serious about addressing various aspects of its operations.

The airline’s operational director Daniel Putut backed his colleague, saying that Lion Air and Batik Air — another airline in the group — had the capacity to fulfill aviation safety requirements based on the assessment of the European Commission.

The commission’s announcement came amid a string of recent domestic incidents involving Lion Air. Last month alone, the airline found itself in hot water over two incidents stemming from mismanagement.

Some 300 of the airline’s pilots abruptly went on strike on May 10 to protest the late disbursement of their monthly accommodation allowances, causing delays at various airports, including the major gateway of Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali.

On the same day, the airline mistakenly transferred passengers arriving on an international flight from Singapore to a domestic terminal at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten, resulting in at least 16 foreign passengers skipping immigration checks.

As a consequence, the Transportation Ministry slapped a sanction on Lion Air, forbidding the airline from opening new routes for six months, as well as threatening to revoke its ground-handling permit at Soekarno-Hatta if it failed to comply with the ministry’s recommendations.

Despite its long list of incidents, Lion Air maintains the largest market share in the domestic aviation sector. Last year, for instance, it secured a 45-percent share of total domestic passengers, according to data released by the Transportation Ministry.

Its closest rival, national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, secured 38.2 percent of the market.

Edward said the economic situation would play an important role in determining its flight path to Europe. “It doesn’t seem profitable for us now,” he said.

Citilink president director Albert Burhan said the ban removal opened the door for the firm — which is a subsidiary of Garuda — to establish relations with new corporate clients, without necessarily expanding routes to Europe.

“Safety is the selling point of Citilink. Now companies can feel more comfortable partnering with us because we are internationally recognized,” he said.

Meanwhile, the ban removal does not mean that Indonesia is relieved of its tasks, said aviation expert Gerry Soejatman. He said the airline regulator still had to resolve many safety issues, pointing out that 52 other airlines were still banned from entering European territory.

The regulator must also improve aviation safety standards, after it was downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2007. At the time, the FAA lowered Indonesia’s aviation safety to category 2, claiming it lacked the regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards.

-------------

To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News.

For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com

Popular

Volcano erupts in North Sulawesi, hundreds evacuated

Dubai roads, airport reel from floods after record rains

Ramadan boosts consumer confidence, retail sales