EU Bans on 51 Indonesian Airlines

By Perry PADA

The recent decision by the EU to blacklist fifty-one Indonesian airlines is an inappropriate act of political theatre, serving neither Indonesia nor the EU.

With not one of these airlines flying to Europe the act is devoid of real meaning. From the Indonesian point of view this in no way contributes to the solution of the safety record which we Indonesians most of all strive to improve.

The reasons behind Indonesian´s displeasure are reasonable, and are based among others on ………….

(a) the EU’s verdict has failed to respect the normal process of inquiry being conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO);

(b) Indonesia has been engaged in major effort to improve the safety of its civil aviation, supported by the international community of safety experts;

(c) the unilateral action taken by the EU has the effect, possible unintended, of disrupting the excellent spirit of dialog and cooperation which Indonesia is committed to improve.

Therefore, EU should reflect seriously on its action and shift the focus away from punitive action and turn rather to finding ways of working with Indonesia in a joint hope of improving air safety.