Page 17 - AAA JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015 Online Magazine

FEATURE INDONESIA AIR SAFETY

For each new plane, airlines need lists more than 50 safety incidents over officer for the Air Line Pilots Association
to hire and train at least 10 to 12 pilots, the past ten years involving carriers in union in Washington was quoted by The
sometimes more, according to industry Indonesia, some of which ended fatally. Wall Street Journal.
experts. The figure is so high because One of the most serious incidents Over the past five years, the number of
planes often fly throughout the day and occurred in 2007, when a Boeing 737 passengers carried annually in the Asia-
night, seven days a week, while pilots - operated by budget carrier Adam Air - Pacific region has jumped by two-thirds to
need sleep and days off. crashed killing about 100 people on board. more than one billion, surpassing Europe
Right now, the Asia-Pacific region “We will review Indonesia AirAsia and North America and accounting for
accounts for 31 per cent of global air to make sure its performance can be 33% of the global total in 2013.
passenger traffic, according to the better in the future,” says Indonesia’s “There is no hard evidence that budget
International Air Transport Association Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan. airlines are more accident-prone than full-
(IATA). Within two decades, that figure is “Much will be reviewed in terms of its service carriers,” says Adhi Wisnugroho,
forecast to jump to 42 per cent, as Asia adds business operations and in terms of air Corporate Legal and Corporate Secretary
an extra 1.8 billion annual passengers for an transportation business, so that there are Manager at Kelstar, a budget carrier operating
overall market size of 2.9 billion. safety improvements.” in Indonesia. “We make sure to follow the safety
Boeing projects that the Asia-Pacific It will be fair to say here that procedures,” says Wisnugroho.
region will need 216,000 new pilots in the AirAsia’s safety records have never been IATA emphasized the need for attention
next 20 years, the most of any part of the questioned before and the airline never to safety oversight, particularly as the
world, accounting for 40 per cent of the had a fatal accident prior to this one. industry is rapidly developing.
global demand. Senior management, including AirAsia “Safety is our top priority and IATA is
Indonesia is on track to become one CEO Tony Fernandes, have been reaching here to assist. I urge Indonesia to mandate
of the world’s top 10 aviation markets out to families of the survivors, trying to the IOSA for all Indonesian carriers.
by around 2020, and could be in the top keep them updated about information on Similarly, I encourage the mandating of the
five with 270 million passengers by 2034, the search and rescue operations and IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations
according to projections by the IATA. personally consoling relatives of people (ISAGO) at Indonesian airports to manage
The country’s fast-growing airlines who were on Flight 8501. better safety on the ground. Together, such
such as Lion Air, Garuda Indonesia and The International Civil Aviation proactive actions will send a clear signal
its subsidiary Citilink have been ordering Organization, a uN agency, ranks Indonesia to the world that Indonesia is serious
hundreds of aircraft from Airbus and as one of the least safe air markets in the about solving its safety issues,” says IATA
Boeing to meet this demand. world. Apart from ICAO, IATA has refused Director General and CEO Tony Tyler.
Experts say even if it builds state-of-the- to allow Lion Air, Indonesia’s fastest- Airframer Boeing has entered into
art aviation facilities, Indonesia will have growing low-cost carrier, to join its ranks, an agreement with the government of
trouble keeping up with demand for pilots. due to the company’s safety record. With Indonesia to cooperate in the regulatory,
Since 2010, Asian carriers have been the exception of Garuda Airlines, Mandala industrial, infrastructure and personnel
involved in four of the five events with Airlines (not currently operating), Airfast development as well as safety and
the most fatalities, according to the and Ekspres Transportasi Antarbenua operational assessments.
independent Aviation Safety Network, (operating as PremiAir) and Air Asia, Boeing regulatory affairs
an independent initiative which covers all other Indonesian passenger airlines representatives have been working with
accidents and air safety issues. Recent are currently banned from flying in the the Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority in
events include a 2010 crash by an Air European union due to safety concerns. regaining FAA International Aviation Safety
India Express plane that overran the A British High Commission official, Assessments (IASA) Category 1 status,
runway in Mangalore in southern India, based in Jakarta says, “We have advised says an Indonesian aviation official.
killing 158 people, and the still-unsolved our nationals to avoid Indonesian
disappearance last March of Malaysia passenger airlines which are banned by
Airlines Flight 370, which veered the Eu due to safety concerns.”
thousands of miles off course from Experts say rapid fleet expansion,
Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The list also combined with additional demands on
includes the shooting down of Malaysia training systems, are a source of potential
Airlines Flight 17 over eastern ukraine in safety problems.
July, 2014, in territory controlled by pro- “Introducing new aircraft types into OPPOSITE PAGE: A file picture
Russian separatists. a fast-growing network amounts to a of the initial Airbus jetliner for
Following numerous accidents, several classic warning sign that safety margins Indonesia’s Lion Group, which is
Indonesia-based airlines have shut their might be eroding,” says John Cox, an being operated by its full-service
operations. The Aviation Safety Network industry consultant and former safety airline Batik Air
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