Airlines responsible for refueling process

Leony Aurora and Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While an investigation into the alleged adulteration of jet fuel in Makassar continues, a minister declared on Wednesday that airlines were also partly responsibility for any irregularities during refueling.

"We will thoroughly investigate the safety aspects, but as stipulated in the ministerial decree, operators are also responsible for any problems during refueling," Minister of Transportation Hatta Rajasa said on Wednesday.

After refueling, the airline, via its staff, had to give its consent and approval -- meaning that the carrier was also involved in the process.

He added that the ministry would begin its safety checks after the police completed their own investigation. In the meantime, the plane in question would be grounded for the duration of the investigation.

Previously, Batavia Air filed a complaint with state oil and gas firm Pertamina and the Ministry of Transportation alleging that the fuel pumped into one of its aircraft at Makassar had been mixed with water.

The case is currently being investigated by the South Sulawesi Police, who declared four Pertamina employees working at the airport's fueling station as suspects on Tuesday. The four have now been arrested for failing to follow standard operational procedures.

The ministry's director of air transportation, M. Iksan Tatang, said that on paper all of the procedures had been followed.

However, "We will evaluate whether Batavia had done its maintenance properly. Negligence in the process will lead to the grounding of its planes," Tatang said.

Commenting on the case, state oil and gas firm PT Pertamina denied any wrongdoing, saying it had followed all the procedures, including checking the condition and quality of the fuel before it was pumped into the aircraft's fuel tank.

Pertamina trading and marketing director Ari Soemarno said the company therefore objected to the arrests.

Ari explained that the complaint by Batavia was filed more than 24 hours after refueling had been completed, just after Pertamina had drained the tank, making it impossible for the company to take another sample.

Batavia said that the sample it had taken from the aircraft's tank revealed that it had a very high water content.

"For the time being, we will let the police carry on with their investigation. We will not interfere. We will do ours afterwards," Tatang said.