Most Asian airlines ready to beat 2000 'bug'<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (Agencies): Seventy percent of Asian airlines are
\nconfident they will be airborne at the turn of the new year
\ndespite the threat of the \"millennium bug\", a Reuters survey
\nfound.<\/p>\n
Fourteen out of 20 respondents -- 70 percent -- said they
\nwould \"definitely\" be flying on Jan. 1, 2000. Another 20 percent
\nanswered \"probably\", one airline said it would \"maybe\" fly on
\nthat date and one, Indonesia's financially stricken PT Garuda
\nIndonesia, replied \"probably not\".<\/p>\n
However, PT Garuda Indonesia's communications manager Pujo
\nBroto asserted in Jakarta on Monday that the national flag
\ncarrier was well prepared to deal with the threat of the
\nmillennium bug.<\/p>\n
\"We have no problems with Y2k because our system is in
\ncompliance with it,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Pujo said Garuda had established cooperation with several
\noverseas information technology firms (IT), such as Atraxis of
\nSwissAir for its computer reservation system, SAP of Germany for
\nfinance and Alitalia for its automotive maintenance.<\/p>\n
Garuda's personnel application system and operational system
\nwill be completed by September, he said.<\/p>\n
\"So it is not true that we are not ready. We are well prepared
\nfor the millennium bug threat and will operate on Jan. 1, 2000,\"
\nPujo added.<\/p>\n
The year 2000 or Y2K problem arises from the inability of some
\ncomputers and computer systems to recognize the date 2000, since
\nthey were programmed to read only the last two digits of a year.<\/p>\n
The glitch may cause computers to malfunction or shut down.<\/p>\n
In January and February, Reuters asked Asian airlines and
\nairport regulators six questions about millennium compliance.
\nRespondents did not answer every question.<\/p>\n
Of the 20 airlines that answered the first question about
\nwhether their computer systems were Year 2000 compliant, 85
\npercent said they were not completely ready.<\/p>\n
Two of the three that said they were already compliant are
\nSouth Korea's Asiana Airlines and China's Hainan Airlines Co. The
\nthird did not want its answers to be identified.<\/p>\n
Deadlines for full millennium compliance ranged from March
\n1999 to October 1999.<\/p>\n
How did the airlines define compliance? The largest percentage
\nof 14 respondents -- 71.4 percent -- said they took it to mean
\n\"All systems will function into Year 2000\".<\/p>\n
Four airlines said compliance meant that its operation and all
\nother operators it relied on were compliant. Another four picked
\nboth statements as their definition of compliance.<\/p>\n
Analysts and industry observers said the airline industry will
\nbe watched especially closely. \"It's a very high-profile
\nindustry,\" said Peter Negline, an analyst at Salomon Smith
\nBarney.<\/p>\n
\"If this issue is not resolved with confidence and public
\nfears are not allayed suitably, it certainly could damage the
\nindustry,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Asia has been accused of falling behind in Y2K preparations,
\nand an economic crisis has raised concerns that funds will be
\ndiverted to more immediate needs.<\/p>\n
When asked if some carriers would choose not fly on Jan. 1,
\n2000, respondents were almost evenly split, with 55.6 percent
\nsaying some airlines would not be airborne.<\/p>\n
For those that believed some airlines would not be flying, two
\nexpected the carriers to be grounded for one day, two for up to
\none week and one for longer than a month.<\/p>\n
Airlines can't afford to idle their fleets, said James Ong,
\npublic relations officer at the 19-member Association of Asia
\nPacific Airlines.<\/p>\n
Most airlines and airport authorities are in the advanced
\nstages of millennium compliance. Out of 21 responses to a
\nquestion asking for a rating of readiness, 81 percent said they
\nare in the \"green\" mode, meaning that they have a \"comprehensive
\nand realistic program in place and on schedule\".<\/p>\n
IATA has launched a $20 million program to monitor and assist
\nY2K preparedness among industry suppliers. It is doing on-site
\naudits at major airports and offering training or \"toolkits\" to
\nsmaller airports to guide them on fixing the problems. (aly)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/most-asian-airlines-ready-to-beat-2000-bug-1447893297",
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