INACA affirms flight safety remains top priority
Tangerang (ANTARA) - The Indonesia National Air Carriers Association (INACA) has affirmed that flight safety remains the top priority amid potential operational losses caused by the closure of several airports due to natural disasters such as the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau.
“If there are losses resulting from the eruption causing airports to halt operations, they certainly exist. But from a safety perspective, the impact of the eruption is of course the top priority,” said INACA Chairman Denon Prawiraatmadja in Tangerang on Tuesday.
According to him, regardless of the threat of operational losses to airlines from the closure of several airports, what is more important and paramount is ensuring flight safety.
He also acknowledged that the natural disaster had triggered flight delays and rescheduling across various routes.
Nevertheless, INACA expressed high appreciation to the Ministry of Transport for its swift action in issuing Notices to Air Missions (NOTAM) to safeguard passengers from the threat of volcanic ash.
“In fact, we appreciate the technical ministry for responding quickly with the NOTAM, because the potential damage should not be taken lightly,” he said.
Regarding airport closure policies and further mitigation measures, Denon stressed that all airline operational measures are always based on valid official data integrated with the relevant authorities.
“There is data from the BMKG. So all the technical ministries’ data is based on the BMKG,” he explained.
In this regard, INACA has not yet been able to provide a cumulative estimate of the financial losses suffered by the national aviation industry.
This is because, he continued, the calculation of the economic impact has been left entirely to the internal policies of each airline.
“The losses — each airline will have to be asked about that,” he said.
Previously, the spread of volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau had affected airspace and airport operations since Saturday (5/9).
As a result, eight airports were forced to suspend operations: Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Banten, Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung and Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung.
In addition, Budiarto Curug Airport in Banten, Pondok Cabe Airport in Banten, Taufiq Kiemas Airport in Pesisir Barat, Lampung, and Atung Bungsu Airport in Pagar Alam, South Sumatra, were also closed.