Why Lion Air must compensate victims immediately

Ridha Aditya Nugraha
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PREMIUM

Jakarta / Wed, December 4, 2019 / 10:17 am

Why Lion Air must compensate victims immediately

Compensation is not merely about the number; it is also about time. Since the accident happened, the families left behind had to make ends meet — ranging from funeral expenses to personal matters such as education costs and debt payments. Therefore, the compensation should have been paid months ago to ease the suffering of those left behind. (Antara/Galih Pradipta)

More than a year has passed since the fatal Lion Air flight JT610 accident happened, in which all 189 passengers perished. Up until today, not all the victims’ heirs have received the proper compensation as mandated by prevailing regulations. Passengers always possess the weakest bargaining position in every plane crash. It is impossible to expect the passengers to know how well an airline maintains its fleets and whether world-class manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing produce aircraft without any defects. Passengers can only rely on certifications and assessments made by the relevant authorities. Passengers and airlines are not of equal positions. The law accommodates such inequality through the concept of absolute liability, a globally acknowledged term as shown in the 1929 Warsaw Convention and the 1999 Montreal Convention. In Indonesia, the concept is acknowledged throug...