Air traffic controllers at Indonesia’s busiest airport have said they are at breaking point due to their hectic workload increasing the risk of aviation accidents.
The Indonesian Air Traffic Controllers Association (IATCA) criticised the decision to allow up to 84 take-offs and landings per hour at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport, which is already beyond its handling capacity.
"By allowing this, the chance of an accident will increase and air traffic controllers will be the ones who are blamed," IATCA Jakarta deputy chairman Andre Budi said.
The IATCA says the decision by state-run AirNav to allow up to 84 aircraft movements per hour violates a transport ministry rule which was recently increased to a new cap of 81 aircraft per hour in normal circumstances.
The airport handles more than 1,000 flights a day and 55 million passengers annually.
"Demand has been growing. Therefore, flight frequency has had to be increased," director-general for aviation Agus Santoso said.
IATCA insists more ATC training and technology is needed to manage the increased workload as well as more qualified personal.
The association also claimed airlines had illegally pressured AirNav directly to allow more flights in and out of the airport.
