A little more that a week or so after the devastating Garuda Boeing 737 crash in Indonesia, the head of Garuda Indonesia’s Australian operations has said that he welcomes a review of airline safety called for by the Indonesian Government but added that its international flights from Australia have an outstanding record that has never been in question.
The Indonesian review did not place Garuda in the top category, which is understood by The Mole to be the category in which most major airlines would expect to be placed, with Jane Milojevic, Marketing Co-ordinator for Garuda in Australia and the media contact for Garuda telling The Mole today, “I not able to comment why Garuda is not in the top category,” adding, “We are waiting to have clarification of what is included in the top category and why we came into the second category.”
She added, “We are waiting for clarification from our head office and there is no suggestion that the any review requirements that Garuda did not meet are related to any safety risks.”
Garuda said that they were not among the six airlines given three months to improve safety standards or face government action, however they said that anything that advances the safety of the travelling public is constructive and desirable.
Garuda Indonesia’s Regional Manager, South West Pacific, Mr Suranto Yitnopawiro said, “In 38 years of operation to Australia, involving the carriage of several million passengers, Garuda Indonesia has always complied with the Australian Civil Aviation safety standards”.
He added, “The airline currently operates wide bodied Airbus A330 aircraft from Sydney and Melbourne, modern Boeing 737-800 New Generation series aircraft on its double daily services ex Perth and the Boeing 737-400 from Darwin and like all foreign airlines operating to Australia, Garuda Indonesia is subject to the Australian Civil Aviation Authority’s right to conduct on-the-spot safety checks and Garuda’s standards in this regard have never been in question.
Report by The Mole
