T

wo more Indonesian airlines will be granted permission to fly in European airspace since they have surpassed safety requirements imposed by the European Commission, an Indonesian government official says.

The commission would announce this month that the ban on passenger flights to Europe by Batavia Air and AirAsia would be lifted, Air Transportation Director General Herry Bakti S. Gumay told reporters on Thursday.

The two airlines will follow four other airlines that have already received permits since the ban on all Indonesian airlines flying in European airspace was imposed in July 2007. The four airlines are Garuda Indonesia, Mandala Airlines, Airfast Indonesia and PremiAir.

“Batavia and AirAsia will have to wait until the Commission’s decision to be approved by the EU parliament in two weeks from now,” Herry said.

Two weeks ago, Herry Bakti along with airlines representatives visited Brussels to seek approval from the EU aviation commission to remove Batavia Air, AirAsia and Lion Air from the flight ban list.

The commission has agreed to lift ban only on Batavia and AirAsia, while Lion Air must fulfill further requirements.

“As a company, Lion is very progressive in its business, so the commission wants to know about its preparations for flying to European countries,” Herry said.

Herry also said the commission’s assessment had nothing to do with the fact that the entire Lion Air fleet were planes produced by the US-based Boeing Company, and not its European competitor, Airbus.

“The important thing for the commission is safety,” he said.

In 2008, Lion Air announced a deal to purchase 178 Boeing 737-900ER aircraft. At present the company operates 46 Boeing 737-900ER, eight 737-400, two Boeing 737-300 and two 747-400 passenger jets.

AirAsia Indonesia marketing director, Widijastoro, told The Jakarta Post that AirAsia was satisfied the commission had lifted the ban on the company. However, he acknowledged that Airasia had no plans to fly to Europe at this stage.

“Once the EU removes us from its blacklist, European people will not be so worried about traveling with AirAsia to other places,” he said, adding that Europeans currently preferred to fly airlines recommended in their home countries to avoid difficulties in claiming insurance.

Of all Indonesian airlines granted permission to fly in Europe, only Garuda has commenced flights. Garuda recommenced flights to Europe on June 1, with a Jakarta-Amsterdam route, via Dubai. The company plans to have flights from the capital to Frankfurt, London, Paris and Rome, beginning next year.

At present, Garuda operates four Airbus A330-200 aircraft to serve the Jakarta-Amsterdam route. The flight departs daily from Jakarta at 8:40 p.m. and 11 a.m. from Amsterdam.