UN agency bans lithium-ion battery cargo on passenger planes

Yahoo – AFP, 23 February 2016

The UN agency responsible for air travel standards has banned the transportation of 

lithium-ion batteries as cargo on passenger aircraft, saying they pose a serious fire 

hazard (AFP Photo/Kenzo Tribouillard)

The UN agency responsible for air travel standards has banned the transportation of lithium-ion batteries as cargo on passenger aircraft, saying they pose a serious fire hazard (AFP Photo/Kenzo Tribouillard)

Montreal (AFP) - The UN agency responsible for air travel standards has banned the transportation of lithium-ion batteries as cargo on passenger aircraft, saying they pose a serious fire hazard.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) says the temporary measure will last until it adopts new packaging standards in 2018.

Set to take effect on April 1, the ban will exclude lithium-ion batteries in laptops transported in airplane cabins by passengers or crew, the Montreal-based agency's governing council said in a statement.

"This interim prohibition will continue to be in force as separate work continues through ICAO on a new lithium battery packaging performance standard, currently expected by 2018," ICAO council President Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu said.

Although the ban is non-binding, most countries follow the agency's standards.

Airlines and pilot associations had requested the ban citing security reasons, the ICAO said.

Many airlines have already voluntarily stopped transporting battery shipments.

Two serious cases of overheating in lithium-ion batteries took place in January 2013, both on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The first occurred aboard a plane parked in Boston. The second took place on an All Nippon Airways plane over Japan, forcing it to make an emergency landing.

Regulators grounded all Dreamliners then in operation for more than three months.

Earlier this month, the US Federal Aviation Administration warned against the risk of "catastrophic explosion" in lithium-ion batteries transported in aircraft cargo holds.

FAA tests showed aircraft fire-suppression systems are incapable of preventing such explosions, including in mobile phones and laptops.

Lithium-ion batteries are used in a large range of products from laptops to electric cars.

EU lifts flight ban of 4 RI cargo airlines

Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Fri, 04/22/2011

Four Indonesian cargo airlines have been removed from the list of airlines banned from entering the European fly zone, after a meeting of the European Union (EU)’s Air Safety Committee on Apr. 5-7.

The ban removal was outlined in the Official Journal of the European Union as the EU released its latest update of the “List of airlines banned within the EU” on Thursday.

“This update removes the previous ban on the operations of four Indonesian all cargo air carriers – Cardig Air, Republic Express, Asia Link and Air Maleo,” the European Commission says in a press statement published on its website, http://ec.europa.eu.

“This is due to solid enforcement action taken by the Indonesian authorities to ensure that their operations are safe,” it adds.

The commission further explained in the official journal that the removal of the ban came after its video conference with the Indonesian authorities on March 11, during which the latter informed that all air carriers in Indonesia, with the exception of Wing Air, had undergone re-certification.

The Indonesian directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) also informed the commission that only 9% of the aircraft operating in Indonesia had yet to be fitted with the required International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) equipment.

“The DGCA [also informed that it] had issued an exemption permitting operations until the end of 2011 and that aircraft not fitted after this date would be grounded.

“The Air Safety Committee takes note of these developments and encourages the competent authorities of Indonesia to continue their efforts to enhance the oversight of air carriers under their regulatory responsibility,” the journal says.

A total of 10 Indonesian airlines have thus far been removed from the EU flight ban list, including Garuda Indonesia, Airfast Indonesia, Mandala Airlines, Ekspres Transportasi Antarbenua, Indonesia Air Asia and Metro Batavia.

18 killed as cargo plane crashes in residential area in Karachi, Pakistan

English.news.cn   2010-11-28 

Video: At least 18 dead in plane crash near Karachi

Pakistani volunteers struggle to extinguish the fire at the site of a plane crash in southern Pakistani port city of Karachi on Nov. 28, 2010. At least 18 people including 10 on the ground were killed as a Russian-made IL 76 cargo plane crashed in a residential area near the Karachi airport in southern Pakistan early Sunday morning. (Xinhua/Arshad)

  

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 18 people were killed as a Russian-made IL76 cargo plane crashed in a residential area near the Karachi airport in southern Pakistan early Sunday morning, reported local TV channel Express.

According to the report, there were eight people on board when the plane crashed two minutes after it took off from the Karachi airport at 1:45 am (local time) Sunday morning. The plane was on its way to Sudan, said the report.

Though only eight people were said to be on board, the casualties could be larger than imagined as the plane crashed in a residential area named Gulshan-E-Jamal near the Karachi airport, the report said.

Four buildings have reportedly been destroyed as the plane crashed in the afore-said residential area.

Six people on board are said to be Pakistanis while the pilot and co-pilot are foreigners, whose nationality is yet to be determined.

A loud explosion was heard as the plane crashed, said a report, adding that huge fire and smoke are seen on the crash site.

The rescue team has been dispatched to the crash site shortly after the tragedy took place and so far at least one body has been recovered from the crash site.

Sunday's plane crash is the third of its kind over the last four months in Pakistan. On July 28, an Airbus passenger plane crashed in the Margalla Hills of Pakistan's capital Islamabad, killing all the 152 people on board. This is the largest aviation disaster ever reported in the country over the past 18 years.

In October, a small passenger plane carrying over 20 people crashed near the Karachi airport due to the engine failure. None of the people on board survived in the plane crash.

Qantas fined $12m over cargo cartel

News.com.au, AFP November 10, 2010 7:15AM

QANTAS is among 11 air cargo carriers fined a total of 800 million euros ($1.1 billion) by the European Commission for running a cartel.

The fines, totalling €799.4 million ($1.09 billion), were slapped on airlines for co-ordinating a cartel that covered flights from, to and within the European Economic Area.

Qantas was given one of the smallest fines, €8.9 million ($12.27 million), for its part in the cartel.

The cartel initially began with contacts between airlines to ensure that worldwide airfreight carriers imposed a "flat rate surcharge per kilo for all shipments," the commission said.

The co-operation expanded with the introduction of a security surcharge. The companies refused to pay a commission on such surcharges to their clients, the regulator said.

"It is deplorable that so many major airlines coordinated their pricing to the detriment of European businesses and European consumers," said

The Air France-KLM group was hit with the biggest fine, €310 million ($427.26 million),of which €183 million ($252.22 million)was for Air France and €127 million ($175.04 million) for KLM.

British Airways was fined €104 million ($143.34 million).

The other companies fined were Qantas, Air Canada, Martinair, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific Airways, Japan Airlines, LAN Chile, SAS and Singapore Airlines.

Lufthansa and its subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines escaped a fine under the commission's leniency program for being the first to provide information about the cartel.

The 11 cargo carriers co-ordinated their action on surcharges for fuel and security without discounts over a six-year period, between December 1999 and February 2006, the European Union's competition watchdog said.

Scandinavia's SAS group was fined €70.2 million and Luxembourg's Cargolux will have to pay€79.9 million.

In Asia, Singapore Airlines was fined €74.8 million, Cathay was hit with €57.1 million and Japan Airlines will pay €35.7 million. Air Canada must pay €21 million.

Five airlines applied for a reduction in the fine, claiming they were unable to pay it, but the commission said none of them met the conditions.

The commissions aid it dropped charges against another 11 carriers and one consultancy firm which it did not name.

US cargo aircraft arrives in Bali ahead of Obama’s visit

Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali | Wed, 06/02/2010 7:28 PM

Before the visit: A US cargo plane carrying logistic needs for the visit of President Barack Obama lands on Ngurah Rai International Airport in Kuta, Bali, on Wednesday. Obama has confirmed his plan to visit Bali in the next two weeks. JP/Zul Trio Anggono

A US Air Force cargo plane carrying logistical needs for the visit of President Barack Obama landed at the Ngurah Rai air base in the Bali capital of Denpasar on Wednesday.

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster crews were seen unloading forklifts and other heavy equipment from the aircraft as soon as it touched down at around 5 p.m. local time.

Security at the air base was tightened as the plane arrived, with journalists given no access to the US Air Force officers.

Air base commander Lt. Col. Aldrin P. Mongan refused to comment when contacted by the press, saying he would give an official statement later.

Bali governor Made Mangku Pastika has confirmed Obama’s trip to the island in about two weeks. Obama is slated to visit Besakih temple, Uluwatu temple and Udayana University campus in Jimbaran.

Cargo plane crashes in the Philippines; 3 dead

The Washington Post

By JIM GOMEZ, The Associated Press , Wednesday, April 21, 2010; 2:34 PM

MANILA, Philippines -- A Russian-made cargo plane crashed and burst into flames in a rice field north of the Philippine capital Wednesday as it attempted a landing. Three crew were killed and three pulled out alive from the burning wreckage.

The Antonov 12 aircraft was flying from Mactan in the central Philippines and crashed about 22 miles (35 kilometers) south of Clark airport, the former U.S. Air Base near Manila, said Alfonso Cusi, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

Firefighters struggled into the night to put out the flames that engulfed the aircraft after it exploded on impact, ripping the plane into two sections, said police Chief Inspector Carlito Fabro.

Villagers managed to rescue three crew members - two Russians and an Uzbek, who suffered bruises and were brought to a police station to rest, police said.

Three other crew were found dead near the cockpit, Cusi said, adding investigators were trying to identify the badly burned bodies.

The Antonov 12 plane was leased by a Manila-based airline company for domestic use, Cusi said. Clark's tower lost communication with the aircraft at about 8:50 p.m. (1250 GMT).

"Their communication signal suddenly got garbled then the plane disappeared in the radar," Cusi told The Associated Press.

Cargo aircraft crashes in northern Mexico; 5 dead

Reuters, Wed Apr 14, 2010 3:12am EDT

(Reuters) - A cargo aircraft crashed late Tuesday near the airport in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, killing five people, Mexican emergency authorities reported.

The aircraft, operated by privately held AeroUnion, crashed near a major road leading to the airport, killing as many as two people on board the aircraft and three on the ground, Mexican media reported.

Emergency officials were unable to confirm the number of fatalities.

Mexican security forces blocked off the area around the crash site as firefighters battled a blaze on the ground, according to a Reuters witness.

(Reporting by Armando Tovar in Mexico City and Tomas Bravo in Monterrey; editing by Todd Eastham)

Cargo Airports to Become Open Sky

Tempo Interactive, Friday, 15 January, 2010 | 20:08 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The government will include cargo airports in the liberalization of international flights or open sky policy. “Besides regular airports, there are cargo airports open internationally,” said Director of Air Transport Tri S. Sunoko when contacted yesterday.

But Tri was not yet prepared to confirm how many airports will be open. The names of the airports will be included in the ministerial decision, which will be issued at the beginning of February.

The decision is still being discussed intently.

For passenger airports, Tri said that there are five already included in the international flight liberalization, which are Soekarno-Hatta (Jakarta), Kualanamu (Medan), Juanda (Surabaya), Ngurah Rai (Denpasar), and Sultan Hasanuddin (Makassar).

"These five airports are the most ready to face flight liberalization," he said.

Tri asked all chosen airports to improve their services in line with international standards, including security and facilities provided.

“They certainly have to comply with international standards,” he said.

Tri went on to say that Kualanamu airport is still in the construction process.

The airport will commence operations in the beginning of July.

The airport will be an open sky one. “If possible, it will operate 24 hours,” he said.Previously, Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi asked that the liberalization in ASEAN be delayed six months.

The reason for this was that Indonesia still needed time to prepare itself.

Indonesia has 26 international airports, a lot more than Singapore, which only has one international airport.

At that time Freddy said that he would limit the number of airports to be opened.

This measure was taken to prevent the potential loss of national carriers due to the policy.

DESY PAKPAHAN

Cargo plane crashes in Uganda, killing 11

The Jakarta Post, Godfrey Olukya, Associated Press, Kampala | Mon, 03/09/2009 9:44 PM  

A cargo plane carrying equipment for African Union peacekeepers in Somalia caught fire and crashed into Uganda's Lake Victoria shortly after takeoff Monday, killing all 11 people on board, authorities said. 

The victims were seven passengers - three senior Burundian military officers, two Ugandans, an Indian and a South African - and four Russian crew members, Information Minister Kabakumba Matsiko said. 

The Ilyushin 76 was carrying water purifiers, pipes and other equipment for Ugandan troops who are part of an African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, Ugandan army spokesman Maj. Felix Kulaigye said. 

The cause of the crash was under investigation, the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority said. Kulaigye said eyewitnesses reported seeing the plane catch fire in the air before it crashed into the lake. 

Uganda has around 600 peacekeepers in Somalia, where the weak U.N.-backed government is battling an Islamic insurgency. It is preparing to send another 800 when funding for transport and logistics is in place. The peacekeepers guard the airport, port and main buildings where the Somali government is based, but not civilians. 

Burundi has 1,700 soldiers in Somalia. Burundi army spokesman Adolphe Manirakiza said the three Burundian soldiers included Brig. Gen. Ndikumana Salum, who is the deputy commander of Burundian peacekeepers in Somalia, a colonel and a captain. He said the plane crashed five minutes after takeoff. 

Air crashes are not unusual in Africa, where many airlines fly old or outdated aircraft - often from the former Soviet Union - and infrastructure is often not properly maintained. Some airlines are banned from flying in Europe.

Customs office notches up huge haul

Mariani Dewi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 12/30/2008 11:02 AM  

State income from import and export duties and fines imposed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang has increased by 50 percent in 2008 from last year's figures. 

The airport recorded Rp 9 trillion (US$780 million) in duties and fines from cargo and airline passengers, up from Rp 6 trillion last year, Eko Darmanto, chief of intelligence at the airport's Customs and Excise Office, said Monday. 

"It's 160 percent higher than our target," he added. 

He said the increase was due to higher trade and more stringent customs checks. The airport has not seen a significant decline in the transfer of goods, despite the global financial downturn, but lower traffic is expected over the next six months. 

"In any case, we will step up our checks to ensure steady state income and to prevent goods entering that may harm local industries, because the decline in exports to the United States and Europe may cause more goods to enter Indonesia," Eko said. 

Customs officials have raised their guard to tackle more offenses, from tampering with the prices of goods to trafficking. 

"Many (exporters and importers) declare lower prices for their products, but we check them first before giving them clearance," Eko said. 

"If we find any inconsistencies, we can fine them even more than the original duties they should have forked out. The law says fines can range from 100 to 1,000 percent." 

Importers and exporters can challenge such punishment at the tax court. 

"But the percentage of people who take it up at court is very small," he added. 

Customs officials at the airport also foiled 400 cases of attempted trafficking this year. 

"Most of the would-be smugglers were airline passengers or courier services. We imposed Rp 6 billion in fines for those who tried sneaking past customs without paying. It was mainly mobile phones and medicine they were trying to get through," he said. 

Along with collecting duties, customs officials also busted 13 cross-border drug trafficking attempts 32 domestic ones. Last year, only two attempts were foiled. 

This year's achievement was in spite of the more streamlined customs office. 

"The total number of customs officials was reduced from 700 to 500. For the checking and monitoring department, there are 120 officers, down from 150 last year. It is not always the case that more manpower means more effective work. However, the ideal case is to have more members and still work effectively," Eko pointed out. 

"Ideally, there are at least 165 checkpoints with monitoring devices throughout the airport. But we only have eight devices, so the rest must be done manually." 

The airport is looking to increase the number of devices and adopt a computerized checking system, as well as put up more CCTV cameras next year. A laboratory is planned for checking chemical compounds, and intensified training for sniffer dogs is in the works. 

"We submitted our budget to the government in the middle the year, and we're now awaiting their decision," he said. 

Custom officials pay particular attention to flights to and from gateways that traditionally net more offenses, including Germany, the Netherlands, China, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

CATCH OF THE DAY

The Jakarta Post | Fri, 05/09/2008 11:28 AM

CATCH OF THE DAY: Customs officials inspect one of two illegally imported luxury sedans at Tanjung Priok port on Thursday in Jakarta. Officials said the smuggling attempt was foiled after the customs inspector spotted irregularities in the import documents. The bust was apparently worth as much as Rp. 3.2 billion (US$351,000) to the state. (JP/Ricky Yudistira)

Govt to restore aging railway facilities

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government is set to prioritize the rehabilitation and maintenance of old railway facilities and infrastructure in order to improve railway traffic safety and services, the Minister of Transport said.

Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal also said 465 kilometers of some 3,200 kilometers of railway track on Java, along with more than 780 kilometers of 1,340 kilometers of railway track on Sumatra were already 70 years old.

He said the age factor was contributing to the increasing number of railway accidents on the two islands in the past few years.

"The construction of more than 200 km of double track connecting Yogyakarta with Solo, Kutoarjo and Cirebon has been completed, while the one connecting Cirebon and Kroya is underway," Jusman said in his opening address at the Asia-Pacific railway workers' conference here Monday.

"The rehabilitation program will be conducted in phases due to the limited state budget."

A representative for the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), Hanafi Rustandi, called on the government to speed up rehabilitation work to minimize train accidents in the future.

He said of 20 train accidents that happened in the first semester this year, 30 percent were caused by the poor condition of trains and railway networks.

Another 20 percent had something to do with the poor condition of supporting facilities.

Hanafi said however he acknowledged the issuance of a government regulation on pension adjustments for railway employees following a long negotiation between employees and the management of state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api (PT KA).

ITF Secretary for the Asia-Pacific region Sigeru Wada said the rapid rehabilitation of poor railway facilities was needed to restore public confidence in PT KA's service and the government.

"The railway service should be developed as an alternative for an efficient and safe transportation mode, particularly on Java," Wada said.

He said strong coordination between the government and local authorities in Greater Jakarta to seek a better solution to problems of traffic congestion in the region was needed.

He said the current transportation mode should be strengthened by improving services of commuter trains and monorails that transported travelers to and from certain transportation centers.

Jusman called on businesspeople to invest in the planned construction of cargo trains in resource-rich Sumatra and Kalimantan to serve the mining sector on the two big islands as mandated by Law No. 23/2007 on railway transportation.

"The government is inviting the private sector to participate in the planned construction of railway transportation connecting Tanjung Enim with Tarahan, Kertapati and Tanjung Api-api in South Sumatra and that linking Samarinda with Balikpapan, Bontang, Banjarmasin, Palangka Raya, Tenggarong and Kota Bangun in Kalimantan," he said.

"The government also plans to construct a railway transportation connecting Pontianak with Singkawang, Sambas and Kucing in East Malaysia."

Jusman also said several local investors had shown interest in investing in the cargo train development project.

Jambi to cooperate with JICA to improve river transportation

Jambi, Sumatra (ANTARA News) - The Jambi provincial transportation office in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is planning to implement a river transportation improvement program, a local official said.

River transportation improvement is one of the priorities in Jambi`s five-year development plan, Darma, the local official, said here on Tuesday.

The Batanghari River stretching 1,400 km long in Jambi is being used to transport people as well as goods such as oil palm and coal, he said.

New cargo plane to serve Wamena

The Jakarta Post

WAMENA, Papua: Trigana Air Service on Thursday extended its air cargo service to the Jayawijaya region. The service is expected to improve the flow of certain staple foods into the remote regency.

Trigana will operate a Hercules L100-30 plane making four daily trips between Jayapura and Wamena, seven days a week. The plane can carry up to 20 tons of cargo.

Jayapura administration secretary Chris Wopari said he thought the service would ease the food supply problems that frequently plague the area.

"Hopefully, the availability of a regular air cargo service will help bring in a steady supply of basic necessities and push down prices," he said.

The region's remoteness and difficult terrain has resulted in sky-high prices for basic necessities. In Wamena, a liter of cooking oil sells for Rp 20,000, more than double the Jakarta price.

In the neighboring regency of Puncak Jaya, cement costs as much as Rp 1.5 million per sack, nearly four times prices in Java.

TNT Express Indonesia to focus on growing European market

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

TNT Express Indonesia, a top business-to-business express carrier firm, has launched a Euro Expert program under its TNT Economy Express service to expand business and focus on the European market.

TNT Express Indonesia director Peter Langley said in a statement that the program was aimed at encouraging more customers to use TNT Economy Express, which offers an economical alternative for less urgent shipments.

He added that shipments could contain items ranging in weight from 20 kg up to 500 kg, such as heavyweight electronics, automotive and computing equipment to textiles and fragile life science goods.

"As the trade between Indonesia and EU looks set to grow further and expand into various sectors, the launch of TNT's Euro Expert Economy Express offers enhanced connectivity, efficient and reliable economy services," Langley said.

Currently, the EU is Indonesia's second largest trading partner after Japan.

TNT Express Indonesia, which started its business in 1979 under the name of PT Skypak International, now has more than 17 branch offices, 14 agents and 600 staff, and operates through six gateways -- Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Balikpapan, Medan and Batam.

Asia leads growth in air freight demand

By EMMIE V. ABADILLA, Manila Bulletin

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released traffic results for May that showed 5.5 percent growth in year-on-year international passenger demand.

Growth in freight demand rose to 5.0 percent (up sharply from 2.8 percent in April). This was the largest increase since September 2006. Average load factors remained strong at 73.7 percent, up 0.1 percent year-on-year.

"The pick-up in freight, led by Asia, could be the first sign of strengthening demand," according to Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

"Over the next months, we will be closely watching the impact of several changing conditions, including intensifying competition from other modes of transport and structural changes such as manufacturers producing lighter goods," he explained.

"On the passenger side, growth has stabilized while strong competition is keeping load factors high even as carriers aggressively expand international routes to take advantage of some liberalizing markets," Bisignani added.

Airlines in the Middle East saw the strongest passenger demand growth in May with a 19.6 percent increase that also boosted load factors to 70.8 percent.

African airlines recorded demand growth of 11.2 percent, driven by improved regional economic performance and growing links with Asia and the Middle East. Latin American airlines showed the first demand growth in a year with a 4.2 percent increase, following airline restructuring.

Garuda, Hainan Airlines sign code-sharing agreement

Wasti Atmodjo, Contributor The Jakarta Post, Sanur

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and China's fourth largest airline, Hainan Airlines, signed a code-sharing agreement Tuesday to strengthen their marketing positions in China and Indonesia.

Agus Priyanto, Garuda's executive vice president for sales and marketing, said Tuesday that the agreement would allow Hainan airlines to sell up to twenty seats on each Garuda's flight from Jakarta to Beijing, and vice-versa.

The agreement will come into effect in July.

According to Den Jiang, general manager of Hainan Airlines, his company would also serve Garuda passengers with connecting flights to domestic destinations in China, including Harbin, Hangzou and Nanning.

Hainan Airlines presently flies to fifty-three cities throughout China.

Garuda currently flies 16 times a week to four cities in China: Beijing (three times a week), Shanghai (four times a week), Guangzhou (four times a week) and Hong Kong (five times a week).

"Through this deal, Garuda and Hainan Airlines hope to secure bigger markets in the Chinese region and in Indonesia," Priyanto said.

In 2006, Garuda Indonesia carried over 275,000 passengers between the two countries. For this year, it expects the figure to increase to more than 300,000 passengers.

Garuda's China routes generate US$130 million from passengers and $150 million from cargo, around 25 percent of the airline's total revenue.

Indonesia Not Ready to Face Aviation Liberalization

Tuesday, 08 May, 2007 | 12:22 WIB

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