Constitutional Judge Questions Rp300,000 Flight Delay Compensation, Urges Tighter Airline Oversight

Constitutional Court Judge Saldi Isra has questioned the extent to which the government exercises its supervisory function over airlines in Indonesia. The scrutiny arose during a judicial review hearing of Law Number 1 of 2009 on Aviation, specifically concerning airline services for passengers experiencing flight delays.

During the session held on Tuesday, 4 August 2026, Saldi stated that the government needs to explain the concrete steps taken to oversee recurring issues in the aviation sector, ranging from departure delays to the transfer of passengers to other airlines within the same corporate group.

‘To the government, what control measures have you implemented regarding issues like these? This cannot simply be measured by the Rp300,000 compensation,’ Saldi said during the hearing.

The statement was made after the panel of judges heard testimony from Lion Group as a related party in the case reviewing the Aviation Law concerning flight delays.

Saldi specifically questioned whether the Ministry of Transportation has optimally carried out its supervisory function over airlines. He asserted that the government has a responsibility to ensure consumer protection, not merely to see that regulations are followed by business operators. He requested the government to explain the steps taken to determine the amount of delay compensation so that it corresponds to the actual or potential losses experienced by consumers.

‘Please explain what the government has done to adjust the compensation to the losses or potential losses experienced by consumers,’ he said.

According to Saldi, the issue of flight delays is not solely about the nominal amount of money provided to passengers, but also concerns the broader impact on their activities and interests. During the hearing, the current compensation mechanism was revealed, which provides Rp300,000 for delays of 240 minutes. For delays between 30 minutes and one hour, passengers only receive light snacks and drinks. Saldi assessed that the compensation amount does not reflect the actual losses suffered by the public.