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Fired foreign flyboys cry foul at Lombok flight school

Three foreign flight instructors were fired by the PT Lombok Institute of Flight and Technology (PT LIFT) for refusing to use an aircraft not deemed airworthy, their lawyer says

Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post)
Mataram
Wed, January 30, 2013

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Fired foreign flyboys cry foul at Lombok flight school

T

hree foreign flight instructors were fired by the PT Lombok Institute of Flight and Technology (PT LIFT) for refusing to use an aircraft not deemed airworthy, their lawyer says.

The instructors — identified as American Matthew Coen, 39; Spaniard Victor Cobo, 28; and German Selvia Staudinger, 31 — reported their employer, who sponsored their visas, to the immigration office in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), according to their lawyer, I Gede Sukarmo.

“We reported the issue to the Mataram immigration office because our clients have been unfairly dismissed,” Sukarmo said at the office on Monday. “Their employer, PT LIFT, failed to report the matter to the immigration office.”

The instructors claimed that they were wrongfully dismissed on Dec. 12.

“The case ensued because my clients refused to fly a training plane that they deemed was not airworthy,” Sukarmo said.

The aircraft in question, a relatively new US-made Liberty XL2 two-seat, low-wing, general aviation aircraft that the flight school used for training, was no longer able to reach 2,000 feet, the lawyer said.

“Our clients feared for their safety. They acknowledged that they often encountered faults during training flights.”

Sukarmo said that his efforts to broker a mediated settlement with PT LIFT — a standard though optional practice under Indonesian law — were rebuffed, leading the instructors to file a report with immigration officials. The men also claimed that they had not yet been paid their monthly salary of US$4,900.

“We reported the matter to the immigration office so my clients could receive protection. As foreign citizens, they currently have no sponsor. They will become victims in the case,” Sukarmo said.

The lawyer said he would also file a police report claiming that PT LIFT, as his clients’ sponsor, had violated manpower and immigration laws.

Separately, Mataram Immigration Office head I Wayan Sudana confirmed he had received a complaint from the instructors.

According to immigration rules, companies that retract their sponsorship of expatriate employees must file a report with immigration — something that PT LIFT had apparently yet to do, he added.

Sudana said that PT LIFT would be summoned to address the allegations.

Sudana said that the flight school may have breached Article 63 of Law No. 6/2011 on immigration.

“A sponsor who fails to report the people who they sponsor to immigration can face a five-year sentence if proven guilty,” Sudana said.

PT LIFT, which operates out of the now-closed Selaparang Airport in Mataram, declined to comment.

“I cannot comment because the matter is being handled by our lawyer in Jakarta,” PT LIFT human resources development manager Syukro told reporters.

PT LIFT is a flight training institute operating at the former Selaparang Airport in Mataram since early 2012. The school was opened in November 2010 and operates three Liberty XL2 aircraft, according to its website.

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