Lion air toothless roar

Lion air toothless roar

Airline safety in Indonesia is once again on the radar. Just recently two planes crashed, while three performed emergency landings. The loss of lives and the emotional stress for survivors and relatives of the deceased are powerful reminders of the potential hazards associated with airline travel.

I'm sure many of us whom have flown since the tragic air crash in Medan have given it at least some passing thought as we taxied down the runway. You would also think that airline operators would have stepped up safety procedures and tried to allay any fears that passengers may have.

Not quite so. My Lion Air flight (JT 366) from Surabaya to Balikpapan recently showed how little has changed. The hydraulics of the rear door of the plane did not function well enough to automatically close the door, and it took two cabin crew and some outside crew to push and shove the door into place. I presume that one of the cabin crew tried to report this to the pilot, but as the intercom did not work, and the plane had started to move anyway, she shrugged her shoulders and left it there.

For the rest it was a pretty standard flight, i.e., reading lights didn't work, air conditioning vents were broken, and, after landing, the back door could only be opened after the joint and considerable efforts of two cabin crew. I was just glad to get out in one piece. I would have had no confidence whatsoever in either the plane or the cabin crew in case something had gone wrong.

Clearly one could question the need for luxury issues like automatically closing doors, reading lights, intercom, and air conditioning; as long as the engines work and the wings hang on, what's there to worry about it?

I have flown in Indonesia for about 13 years and apparently survived all of it, so it can't be all that bad. Still the flagrant disregard of standard plane maintenance and safety procedures, especially in a week of daily media attention to airline safety, makes me worry about flying with Lion Air again.

I am sure Lion Air wants to avoid air crashes; it is bad business whichever way you look at it. It will need to realize, however, that without stepping up maintenance and safety procedures, its next fatal accident is waiting to happen. I single out Lion Air here, but have flown with almost all of Indonesia's widely proliferating air lines.

And as many of us know, examples like the one I have given are only the tip of the iceberg. I hope that recent words by the President and the Minister of Transportation will result in a tangible improvement in the quality of air travel. At least I earn enough to select the safest carrier; a choice that is not available to many other passengers.

ERIK MEIJAARD, Samarinda, East Kalimantan