RI gets support in EU air squabble

Abdul Khalik and Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has received the backing of a global aviation body for negotiations with the European Commission to lift its ban on Indonesian airlines flying to the 27-nation bloc.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) president Roberto Kobeh Gonzales said Thursday in Jakarta that Indonesia was on the right track to improving its air safety standards, and that the ban might have resulted from "misinformation".

"We hope that they can get more transparent information on what Indonesia is doing with its aviation industry. And the best way to solve this problem is through negotiations," he said.

Transportation Minister Jusman Syafei Djamal had said the government would seek to hold talks with the EC regarding its decision Wednesday to ban all Indonesian airlines from the bloc.

Gonzales was speaking to the media after inspecting an aircraft maintenance hangar run by national flag-carrier PT Garuda Indonesia near the capital Jakarta.

Aircraft belonging to Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Adam Air and Merpati were among those parked around the hangar, while foreign aircraft included ones operated by Air Atlanta, Icelandic, Air Asia, Saudi Arabian Airlines and China Southern.

"I think the facility is good. They have so many customers from around the world, that means that they are good," Gonzales commented.

Indonesia signed an agreement with the ICAO on Monday to improve air safety standards so as to bring them up to an international level.

Meanwhile, the Australian Embassy in Jakarta announced that Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) had confirmed that a series of spot checks carried out on Garuda so far this year had not identified any major problems.

The embassy said that the results of the checks echoed Australian Prime Minister John Howard's statement this week that the federal government had no plans to ban Garuda from Australia.

It also said that senior Australian and Indonesian transportation officials had met in Bali to discuss details of how Australia's Rp 178 billion transport safety assistance package for Indonesia would be utilized.

The head of Australia's delegation in Bali, Transport Deputy Susan Page, said that the assistance program would allow for training and technical cooperation with Indonesia to address priority aviation and maritime transportation safety challenges.

Meanwhile, visiting Belgian Minister of the Economy, Energy, Foreign Trade, and Science Policy Marc Verwilghen expressed hope that the fight ban would be lifted soon.

"The decision was made by the EC, not the individual members. But once the ban is lifted, we would be very eager to establish direct flights from Belgium to Jakarta to boost trade," he told The Jakarta Post.