RI's aviation rating

RI's aviation rating

WASHINGTON (AP): The Federal Aviation Administration has upgraded its rating of Indonesia's aviation regulations to acceptable.

Indonesia had been rated only "conditional," following a 1996 assessment. The upgrade means that the country now meets the safety standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Airlines from countries that fail to meet those standards are not permitted to fly to or from the United States. Those from countries with conditional ratings can operate here only under close FAA scrutiny.

The evaluations focus on how well a country supervises its airlines but do not assess the individual airlines themselves.

The upgrade came despite the Sept. 25 crash of an Indonesian jetliner into the jungle on Sumatra killing all 234 aboard.