2 commercial planes grounded for safety

Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Ministry of Transportation has grounded two aircraft that failed to comply with proper safety requirements, a senior official says.

Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa said on Tuesday his department had completed an audit of the country's operating airlines -- including their financial reports, aircraft and maintenance procedures.

"We found two aircraft (that did not follow proper safety measures). They were immediately grounded," said Hatta without elaborating.

The audit was conducted following the deadly crash of a Lion Air plane in Surakarta, Central Java less than two months ago, which, according to critics, exposed a lack of supervision on part of the government over the industry's safety measures.

Hatta said several airlines had been also given warnings to provide the necessary equipment required by standard safety regulations.

"We give them time (to comply) and we'll check them again. If they still have not complied, we'll ground them as well," warned Hatta.

Lion Air spokesman Hasyim Arsal Alhabsi said none of its fleet had been grounded.

"In fact, we have 10 new aircraft coming in," he said.