T

he government has reactivated the permit of the aircraft ground-handling company involved in Monday’s collision of two aircraft at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, in East Jakarta, only a day after suspending the permit.

On Wednesday, the Transportation Ministry suspended the license of PT Jasa Angkasa Semesta (JAS) following the runway collision of a Batik Air Boeing 737-800 and a TransNusa Air ATR plane.

The ministry’s director general for air transportation Suprasetyo confirmed the ministry had reactivated the permit. “Yes, we have lifted the suspension of PT JAS at Halim Perdanakusuma,” he confirmed through a text message.

He added that the certificates of three air traffic controller (ATC) officers on duty during the collision remained in suspension.

Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan meanwhile defended the decision, saying it was made in accordance with a recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), which was investigating the accident.

The Batik aircraft was attempting to take off on Monday night for Makassar, South Sulawesi, when its wing clipped the TransNusa plane, which was being towed off the runway. No casualties or injuries were reported in the incident, despite fire engulfing the port wing of the Boeing.

The incident occurred as the government awaited an aviation safety upgrade from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Jonan said he would wait and see if the accident affected the ongoing aviation safety audit by the FAA. The government said it hoped the FAA would upgrade the country’s aviation safety status from Category 2 to Category 1.

The KNKT is still investigating the cause of the collision, particularly the roles played by, among others, the ATC officers of Flight Navigation Service Organizing Agency (LPPNPI), known as AirNav, PT JAS, and state airport operator PT Angkasa Pura (AP) II.

Three ATC officers — a controller, assistant controller and supervisor- were grounded for three weeks following the accident.

PT JAS corporate and legal secretary Yoyok Priyowiwoho confirmed the company had received the letter notifying it of the lifting of the suspension of its permit on Thursday morning. “There were two regular flights and one charter flight in the morning that we could not handle because of the permit suspension,” he said.

He said the company had facilitated its airline customers in finding temporary ground-handling substitutes from other companies.

He added that the company had followed standard operational procedure at the time of the collision.

Meanwhile Indonesian National Air Carriers Association (INACA) secretary general Tengku Burhanuddin blamed the accident on recklessness.