The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on Indonesia to address “the critical issues of ensuring safety and adequate infrastructure for developmentâ€.
In Jakarta this week, Tony Tyler, IATA’s director general and CEO, met with Garuda Indonesia CEO Emirsyah Satar, and had discussions with Indonesian government officials, including Transport Minister Freddy Numberi, and airport operator Angkasa Pura II.
“As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) moves forward with liberalisation, it is important that Indonesia is well-prepared with a safe industry operating on global standard infrastructure,†said Tyler.
Between 2005 and 2010, Indonesia recorded a total of 33 air accidents.
“Indonesia is 1.4% of global traffic but accounted for 4% of all accidents in 2010. Every accident is a reminder of the need to improve,†said Tyler.
“Many efforts have been made in recent years to improve Indonesia’s safety record. An indication of the success of these efforts is seen in the removal of five Indonesian carriers from Europe’s list of banned airlines.
“Now we need a coordinated initiative by all stakeholders to solve the safety issue once and for all and restore confidence in all of Indonesia’s airlines,†Tyler added.
Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport urgently needed additional capacity, IATA said. Traffic reached 43.7 million passengers in 2010.
“This already surpasses the 38 million passenger capacity that the airport will have when Terminal 3 eventually becomes fully operational. A solution is urgently needed,†said Tyler.
