Indonesia plays down U.S. warning on aviation

Indonesia on Wednesday played down a U.S. warning on traveling on Indonesia's airlines after a string of accidents, saying it would not affect the country's aviation industry, Transport Minister Hatta Rajasa said .

On Tuesday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lowered Indonesia's airline-oversight rating after two deadly crashes this year, saying the Indonesian aviation authorities have not complied with the international safety standard, a U.S. embassy website in Jakarta "www.usembassyjakarta.org," said.

In January, a budget airline operated by local carrier of Adam Air with 102 people on board disappeared at the Indonesia's waters. In February, the crash of a Garuda Airline in Yogyakarta province killed 21 passengers and a hard landing by another airline of Adam Air cracked its fuselage and wounded scores of people.

"(The warning) will not have influence on the aviation in the country," Rajasa told reporters at the State Palace here.

The minister said that the United States had often issued such warning in the country in the past, but it did not have any influence.

Last month, Indonesian authorities carried out a review of its 20 carriers, none of them were fully met the safety standard. The worst seven airliners were warned to make improvement or face frizzing of its operation that could final to closure.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it had revised Indonesia's safety oversight category from Category 1 to Category 2 due to serious concerns about Indonesian aviation authority's safety oversight and operational control systems.

Category 2 indicates that the FAA has assessed the Government of Indonesia's Civil Aviation Authority as not being in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards for the oversight of Indonesia's air carrier operations.

Scores of budget airlines emerged after Indonesia deregulated its aviation industry in 2001, raising concern that the growth has outpaced the supply of trained aviation human resources, regulatory oversight and infrastructure.

Indonesia has suffered from rampant airline accidents for the last ten years, claiming thousands of lives.

Source: Xinhua