Indonesia's Aviation Safety 'Very Low'

March 13, 2007
"We found weaknesses in the regulatory aspects, in the attitudes, quality and number of personnel and in the lack of up-to-date technology due to shortages of funds."

Indonesia does not have enough quality personnel or technology to match the needs of its booming aviation sector, a government fact-finding team said after the country's third major plane accident in as many months.

"The level of safety is very low," Oetarjo Diran told reporters late Monday after meeting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, pointing to the need for more inspectors, improved technology and greater awareness about safety by officials at all levels.

Dozens of airlines emerged after Indonesia deregulated its aviation industry in 2001, making air travel affordable for the first time for many across the sprawling island nation, and luring passengers away from ferries and trains.

But a series of crashes and other incidents is chipping away confidence in the sector.

Last week, a Garuda plane careered off a runway on Java island and burst into flames, killing 21 people. Weeks earlier a jetliner's fuselage broke in half after a hard landing, though no one was hurt. And on New Year's Day, 102 people died when a plane plunged into the sea.

"We found weaknesses in the regulatory aspects, in the attitudes, quality and number of personnel and in the lack of up-to-date technology due to shortages of funds," said Diran, spokesman for a national transportation team set up to evaluate safety.

The team is scheduled to release recommendations on how to limit accidents next week.

Aside from plane crashes, Indonesia has also been hit by a string of ferry disasters, including one that killed or left missing more than 400 people, as well as train and bus crashes in recent months.

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