Ban on all RI airlines politically motivated: executive

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The plan to ban all 51 Indonesian airlines from flying to the European Union (EU) is politically motivated, an executive said on Tuesday.

"I think it is politically motivated. Japan, Australia, Singapore and the United States themselves known for their sensitiveness do not impose such a ban. So, what is behind this?" Chief of the Indonesian Congress and Convention Association (INCCA) Iqbal Alan Abdullah said.

Indeed, Indonesia had a weak position in international fora given the onslaught of global campaigns to fight terrorism, he said.

"I wonder why the issue is raised at the time of school holidays. Perhaps they (the European Commission) do it intentionally so people will refrain from traveling by plane," he said.

So far, the looming ban had had no impact on the number of European tourists to Indonesia, he said.

"For the time being, it has no significant impact on the number of European tourists to Indonesia. It is more likely to cause a psychological impact in that foreigners may hesitate to fly by national airlines," he said.

The INCCA chief said the government must soon restore the image of Indonesian airlines by convincing the EU of the progress it had made in the aviation sector.

"The government through the Foreign Ministry and the Transportation Ministry must soon respond to (the EU`s decision) by asking for clarification from them on why Garuda will be banned from flying to Europe. It is the government`s task to inform the international community of what has developed and changed in Indonesia," he said.

Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said all the Indonesian airlines must improve their performance to convince the international community of safe flights.

"The looming ban will definitely have an impact on the domestic tourism industry. If it lasts too long it will be dangerous. I hope it will not drag on. That`s why, domestic airlines must improve their performance and security," he said on Monday.

The European Commission said last week all Indonesian airlines and several from Russia, Ukraine and Angola will be banned from flying to the region due to safety concerns.

The ban will become official when the commission endorses its experts` recommendation to ban Indonesian airlines on July 6 by adding them to EU`s list of unsafe airlines.

Currently, no Indonesian airline has scheduled flights to European destinationa. The national flag-carrier Garuda ceased its flights to Amsterdam and Rome in 2005.