Only safe planes to fly in RI: Minister
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto said yesterday that all airlines serving the country had met international aviation safety standards.
Speaking at a year-end press conference, the minister said there was no unsuitable aircraft flying in Indonesia.
"We never allow airlines to fly to Indonesia if they are unable to maintain proper airplanes. This is also about the discipline of airlines which own the aircraft," he said.
There are 40 air carriers in Indonesia, six of which are scheduled commercial airlines. About 50 overseas airlines currently serve the country.
The government, through the Aviation Safety Office supervised by the Ministry of Transportation, had the right to issue a "no go" notification to any airline which failed to fix their out-of- order aircraft in Indonesia in a certain period of time, Haryanto said.
Haryanto, referring to the SilkAir jet which recently crashed near Pelembang, killing all 104 people on board, dismissed media reports which said many aircraft in Indonesia were unsuitable to fly.
There have been five air disasters in Indonesia this year, including the SilkAir crash. The other four accidents were Merpati's ATP airplane crash on Belitung Island, South Sumatra, killing 15 people in April; a CN235 aircraft in Serang, West Java, killing six people in May; a Trigana Fokker F27 in Bandung, West Java, killing 29 passengers in July; and a Garuda Airbus A300-B4 in Medan, North Sumatra, killing 234 people in September.
The 10-month-old SilkAir Boeing B737-300 crashed on Dec. 19 in the Musi River, Sungsang, South Sumatra, while flying from Jakarta to Singapore. Among those killed were 46 Singaporeans and 23 Indonesians, whose bodies were never recovered.
Disclosure
The plane's black box was found Saturday, while Indonesia and Singapore agreed to end all activities related to the search for crash victims this Friday.
Haryanto said details of the crash findings would be unveiled next month to members of the House of Representatives. "We will also tell the members about the black box from Garuda's A300-B4. But it will not be revealed to the public."
Indonesia and Singapore would look for a mass grave for human remains which had been recovered, he added.
Haryanto said Singaporean Transport Minister Mah Bow Tan was likely to discuss with the passengers' families about a site where Singaporeans could frequently visit to pay respects.
"Indonesia will also consult with passengers' families in Indonesia," he said.
Haryanto said yesterday that 18 state transportation enterprises overseen by his office would invest Rp 20 trillion during the 1998/2002 period.
About Rp 3.48 trillion in investment would be allocated next year, Rp 4.12 trillion in 1999, Rp 4.17 trillion in 2000, Rp 4.18 trillion in 2001 and Rp 4.1 trillion in 2002, he said.
He said combined profits of the 18 companies were estimated to be more than Rp 1 trillion this year from Rp 805.42 billion last year.
He did not specify what the profits were of all 18 companies, but usually the biggest earners are Tanjung Priok seaport operator PT Pelabuhan II, airport management companies PT Angkasa Pura I and II and national air carrier Garuda Indonesia. (icn)