JP/13/AIRLINE

RI to get tough on plane maintenance: Minister

Ivy Susanti and Muninggar Sri Saraswati The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The government plans to introduce new inspections for aircraft in the country to ensure passenger safety and help prevent future plane crashes, Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa says.

The plans would include fuel checks outside regular engine examinations, Hatta said.

"We want to be very sure that there is no fuel contamination. We have invited the Indonesian National Air Carriers Association to help us work out a plan," he said after speaking at a meeting on securing the Malacca Strait.

Hatta said Indonesia's checks and balances already met international-standard regulations for aircraft, including the civil aviation safety standard.

The extra checks would mean the government's supervision of the sector was even tighter, he said.

"We are very strict now, we even do double brake checks, and we have ordered a full audit of airline companies and airports. We also have a preferential tariff (we impose) that is effective in monitoring any cuts in maintenance costs," he said.

The crash on Monday of a PT Mandala Airline Indonesia Boeing- 737 in Medan, North Sumatra, has renewed concerns about flight safety after years of cutthroat competition among domestic airliners, especially budget carriers. Observers fear the battle for lower fares has forced companies to compromise on safety by cutting back on costs.

Hatta said several new safety regulations had been created earlier this year but were not expected to become law until late in the year.

In June, the ministry issued Regulation No. 35/2005 that capped the maximum flights for purchases of new aircraft to less than 50,000 total flight cycles, meaning airlines could not buy planes roughly more than 30 years old on average.

"At present, there are some aircraft operating that have exceeded 50,000 flight cycles. To ensure the passengers' safety, we will strictly control their maintenance," Hatta said.

There are 28 airlines operating in the country that fly about 300 types of aircraft.

Speaking about the investigation into the Mandala Airlines crash, Hatta said the government would send the black box from the plane to be examined in either Australia, Taiwan or the U.S., a process that would take about two months.

"We will publish the results, just like we did with the Lion Air case," Hatta said.

A Lion Air Boeing MD-82 crashed on landing in Surakarta, Central Java, last November, killing 26 passengers. Excess water on the runway prompting brake failure was blamed for the incident.

Meanwhile, Mandala Airlines commissioner and Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) chief Maj. Gen. Hadi Waluyo admitted the company had been in financial difficulties during the past two years but said the downturn had nothing to with the crash.

All Mandala's planes were in good condition and the group was planning a financial recovery package that would make the airline more competitive, Hadi said.

Kostrad owns Mandala through a foundation.