TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Indonesia is regarded as not being ready to face the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN aviation liberalization for cargo in 2008. “Our aircraft for air cargo are still limited, so the (liberalization) is beneficial for foreigners,” Deputy Chairman of Indonesian Forwarder and Expedition Association, Iskandar Zulkarnain, last Thursday (3/5), told Tempo in Jakarta.
According to Iskandar, with liberalization, foreign aircraft are given the right to carry cargo in several cities in Indonesia and disembark in the third country. As a result, air cargo is under the threat of being taken by other country’s cargo aircraft. It is a possibility that the foreign aircraft cooperates with the forwarder and expeditor of the companies of the same country.
He was also concerned that this will make several hub-airports for air cargo in Indonesia inactive, because cargo flight can take goods straight to the location without passing through a hub-airport. Domestic forwarder and expeditor companies will lose the opportunity to distribute goods from small regions to hub-airports. The hub-airports are Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, Denpasar and Medan.
However, according to Iskandar, cargo liberalization also has positive effects. “Exporters will be happy,” he said. In the future, exports from Indonesia can cut the costs for they can deliver straight without passing through the hub-airport.
Liberalization for cargo will be put into effect in several cities provided by each ASEAN member. Indonesia provided seven cities: Batam, Balikpapan, Biak, Makassar, Manado, Palembang and Pontianak.
As regards liberalization of passengers, it will be set up among each ASEAN member’s capital city by enacting the Fourth Freedom. This means ASEAN members’ aircraft may embark passengers from a partner country to the country of origin without a capacity limit.
The Indonesia National Air Carriers Association (INACA) also regarded Indonesia as not yet ready in facing aviation liberalization of passengers.
Harun Mahbub
No comments:
Post a Comment