Only safe planes to fly in RI: Minister<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto
\nsaid yesterday that all airlines serving the country had met
\ninternational aviation safety standards.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a year-end press conference, the minister said
\nthere was no unsuitable aircraft flying in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We never allow airlines to fly to Indonesia if they are
\nunable to maintain proper airplanes. This is also about the
\ndiscipline of airlines which own the aircraft,\" he said.<\/p>\n
There are 40 air carriers in Indonesia, six of which are
\nscheduled commercial airlines. About 50 overseas airlines
\ncurrently serve the country.<\/p>\n
The government, through the Aviation Safety Office supervised
\nby the Ministry of Transportation, had the right to issue a \"no
\ngo\" notification to any airline which failed to fix their out-of-
\norder aircraft in Indonesia in a certain period of time, Haryanto
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Haryanto, referring to the SilkAir jet which recently crashed
\nnear Pelembang, killing all 104 people on board, dismissed media
\nreports which said many aircraft in Indonesia were unsuitable to
\nfly.<\/p>\n
There have been five air disasters in Indonesia this year,
\nincluding the SilkAir crash. The other four accidents were
\nMerpati's ATP airplane crash on Belitung Island, South Sumatra,
\nkilling 15 people in April; a CN235 aircraft in Serang, West
\nJava, killing six people in May; a Trigana Fokker F27 in Bandung,
\nWest Java, killing 29 passengers in July; and a Garuda Airbus
\nA300-B4 in Medan, North Sumatra, killing 234 people in September.<\/p>\n
The 10-month-old SilkAir Boeing B737-300 crashed on Dec. 19 in
\nthe Musi River, Sungsang, South Sumatra, while flying from
\nJakarta to Singapore. Among those killed were 46 Singaporeans and
\n23 Indonesians, whose bodies were never recovered.<\/p>\n
Disclosure<\/p>\n
The plane's black box was found Saturday, while Indonesia and
\nSingapore agreed to end all activities related to the search for
\ncrash victims this Friday.<\/p>\n
Haryanto said details of the crash findings would be unveiled
\nnext month to members of the House of Representatives. \"We will
\nalso tell the members about the black box from Garuda's A300-B4.
\nBut it will not be revealed to the public.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesia and Singapore would look for a mass grave for human
\nremains which had been recovered, he added.<\/p>\n
Haryanto said Singaporean Transport Minister Mah Bow Tan was
\nlikely to discuss with the passengers' families about a site
\nwhere Singaporeans could frequently visit to pay respects.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia will also consult with passengers' families in
\nIndonesia,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Haryanto said yesterday that 18 state transportation
\nenterprises overseen by his office would invest Rp 20 trillion
\nduring the 1998\/2002 period.<\/p>\n
About Rp 3.48 trillion in investment would be allocated next
\nyear, Rp 4.12 trillion in 1999, Rp 4.17 trillion in 2000, Rp 4.18
\ntrillion in 2001 and Rp 4.1 trillion in 2002, he said.<\/p>\n
He said combined profits of the 18 companies were estimated to
\nbe more than Rp 1 trillion this year from Rp 805.42 billion last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
He did not specify what the profits were of all 18 companies,
\nbut usually the biggest earners are Tanjung Priok seaport
\noperator PT Pelabuhan II, airport management companies PT Angkasa
\nPura I and II and national air carrier Garuda Indonesia. (icn)<\/p>",
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