Indonesia will accelerate the lifting of European Union (EU) air ban on leading carrier of Garuda, Mandala and two non-carrier, the country's transport Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal said here Monday.
The EU imposed the ban on 51 Indonesian airlines on July 6 last year, following the rampant air accidents in the country, then it extended the restriction on its meeting in Brussels at November 28.But the group ended its ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and on Blue Wing Airlines of Surinam.
Since then moves had been carried out by the Indonesian authorities to push the group to lift the ban, including a recommendation not to purchasing airbus and a threat to impose retroactively on the restriction.
The minister told reporters in the sideline of a conference on Indonesia and European Union partnership on air safety that the four airlines had opportunity for the purpose.
"Indonesia will speed up the lifting of air travel ban by submitting a fast tract program, involving four airlines that we consider have potential to enter the Europe territory and have already cooperated with European countries," he said.
Garuda Indonesia has posted the first rank on safety according to the evaluation by the Indonesian authorities. The minister said that the airline insisted to enter the EU territory as it had a route to the area.
Mandala has purchased a number of airbus and will continue its deal with Airbus for some other planes.
Two others non-carrier airlines, the Premiair and the Airfast had been contracted by EU countries, said minister Djamal.
On the same occasion, head of unit air transport-aviation of Directorate General Transport and Energy of European Commission Roberto Salvarini said that the commission welcomes the plan and would consider it.
"We are open. When we receive the proposal, we will asses it," he told reporters.
Salvarini said that he could understand with the best strategy to be taken by Indonesia due to the limited resources.
The ban has an impact on economy and politics in the country with more than 17,000 islands, he said.
At the New Years Eve last year, local carrier of Adam Air carrier with more than one hundred people on board lost contact and disappeared in the waters of central Indonesia, and in March 2007 a Garuda Indonesia plane-200 with 140 people on board overshot the runway in Yogyakarta province and burst into flames, killing 21 people.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article