Report all problems, airlines told

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

The management team at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has instructed airline companies to improve their reporting techniques to avoid fatal accidents in the future.

"Operators should not be afraid to report problems with their airplanes as it is for everyone's own good," head of the airport management's administration team Herry Bakti told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He said improved reporting techniques would prevent the occurrence of minor incidents as well as fatal accidents.

He cited the example of a Lion Air airplane that flew without an engine cap last Tuesday, fortunately avoiding what could have been a fatal accident.

He said if the airline reported the fault earlier, a significant amount of risk could have been eliminated.

A watch tower officer found the large cap on the side of a runway near the international terminal Tuesday morning.

The company reported the fault two days later.

Herry said penalties were yet to be handed down to Lion Air as the incident was still being investigated.

However, initial investigations conducted by the airport's management team confirmed the cap belonged to a McDouglas 90 (MD 90) airplane, which are only operated by Lion Air.

McDouglas 90 aircraft are not currently being operated by Batavia Air and Mandala Air, as reported last week.

Lion Air public relations manager Hasyim Arsal Alhabsi told reporters the company only learned of the damage Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Mandala Air chief executive officer Warwick Brady said improved reporting techniques would not be a problem for his company as safety had always been its top priority.

"Safety starts at the top and we have a professional team of airline veterans from around the world in engineering and flight operations ... to manage our safe and reliable operation," he said.

Brady said each week a safety board convenes to review safety, security and the quality of the airline.

He said the company's 30 new Airbus A320 aircraft would also comply with the highest international standards of airline safety and management.

"All airlines in the world have incidents but the safest ones invest significant resources in safety and take proactive steps to mitigate risks," Brady said.