Indonesia cracks down on aviation staff

Highlighting the depth of Indonesia’s air safety problems, the transportation ministry announced harsh measures yesterday against everyone who allowed AirAsia Flight 8501 to take off without proper permits — including the suspension of the airport’s operator and officials in the control tower.

The routing permits of all airlines flying in the country also will be examined to see if they are violating the rules, said Djoko Murjatmodjo, acting director general of air transportation.

“Who knows if other airlines are also doing the same thing,” he said.

The crackdown comes as searchers continue to fight bad weather while combing the Java Sea for bodies and wreckage of the Airbus A320 that crashed on December 28, killing all 162 passengers and crew on board.

The plane was travelling between Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, and Singapore on a Sunday.

Officials have since said its permit for the popular route was only for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and that AirAsia quietly switched three of those days.

Officials in Singapore, however, have said the plane was authorised to fly on Sundays from its end.

Applications for specific routes take into account issues including air traffic rights and airport takeoff and landing slots.

While the airline is being investigated, Indonesia has banned all AirAsia flights between Surabaya and Singapore.

AirAsia Indonesia president director Sunu Widyatmoko said yesterday that the airline will c-operate with the government during the evaluation, but would not comment on the permit allegations until the process is complete.

Violation of the regulations would boost legal arguments for passengers’ family members seeking compensation, said Alvin Lie, a former lawmaker and aviation analyst. But he added AirAsia would not be the only one to blame.

“The Surabaya-Singapore flights have been operating since October ... and the government didn’t know,” he said. “Where was the government’s supervision?”

Murjatmodjo said key individuals who allowed the plane to fly without permits would be suspended while the investigation is pending.

The ministry also issued a directive on December 31 ordering all airlines to provide pilots with up-to-date weather reports before they take off, he said. Currently, it’s up to the captain and co-pilot to research and evaluate flying conditions before departing. In other countries, carriers’ flight operations departments perform that task for them.

Also yesterday he met with the Corruption Eradication Commission to discuss whether to investigate AirAsia’s operations.