M. Taufiqurrahman and Andi Haswidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Responding to a looming ban on Indonesian airlines flying to Europe, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said that although it would not inflict have any serious financial consequences, it could nevertheless put the future of the domestic airline industry at risk.
"The psychological impact will be great. Imagine people from the Netherlands who want to travel to Bali. They will fly first to Singapore and then take Singapore Airlines to Bali," Kalla told reporters Friday.
He admitted, however, that it should serve as a good lesson for domestic airlines and encourage them to improve their safety standards.
"We can only improve when there is criticism," he said.
The European Commission announced Thursday that it planned to ban all 51 Indonesian airlines from flying to the Europe starting June 6.
The ban comes as national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is considering reestablishing its Amsterdam service, which was discontinued in 2004.
Kalla said that Indonesia's air transportation authorities now had the task of convincing the commission that domestic airlines had taken the necessary measures to improve their safety standards.
"For instance, Garuda has been upgraded to category I, which means that it's a safe airline and this is what Garuda should explain to the European Commission," he said.
Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) chairman Bambang Susantono said he was sure that the ban was the result of a communications failure.
"Some of our airlines, including Garuda, have improved their safety standards and fully comply with the international standards," he told The Jakarta Post.
Bambang also expressed skepticism about how the commission's experts arrived at their conclusions, "I don't remember them coming here to inspect the airlines directly."
However, Bambang said that seeking information from pilots flying in and out of Jakarta might have been one of the ways used to gather information on air safety standards in Indonesia.
Bambang said that the air transportation authorities now needed to mount a public safety campaign to prevent other countries following the commission's decision.
Garuda president director Emirsyah Satar told the Post that the national flag carrier would cooperate with the government, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines to resolve the issue.
Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) executive director Sudaryatno, who has often criticized Garuda, said that the commission's decision might be justifiable if viewed from the safety perspective.
"However, we must also look at this from the perspective the saturated markets that exist in the developed world. We must be careful as this ban could be part of a strategic plan to ruin the reputation of local airlines so that foreign airlines can get a foothold in this country," Sudaryatno said.
"Soekarno Hatta Airport and Ngurah Rai Airport are no longer gateways to Indonesia. They have been replaced by Singapore's Changi. The situation could worsen if the stakeholders in the industry do not take the necessary steps," he pointed out.
Sudaryatno suggested that the government do all in its power to advance the National Sky Policy, the blueprint for the future of the airline industry.
Earlier, the Transportation Ministry's director general for air transportation, Budhi Mulyawan Suyitno, said that ministry representatives would meet with the European Commission in October to explain the latest developments in the Indonesian airline industry.
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