Corruption in Indonesia: Flight Schedule Violations 5 Airlines Exposed
Although Indonesian rescuers are still searching for the black boxes, casualties and other remains of Indonesia AirAsia Flight QZ8501 that crashed tragically in the Java Sea on 28 December 2014 en route from Surabaya (East Java) to Singapore, some preliminary findings have already been presented to the media. These findings do not involve the accident itself but rather involve massive violations that were exposed as a consequence of the AirAsia tragedy. Apparently, 61 flights (involving five Indonesian airlines) lack the necessary permits.
At a press conference on Friday (09/01), Indonesia’s Transportation Minister Ignatius Jonan announced that flight schedule violations have been rife in Indonesia. After preliminary research the Transportation Ministry concluded that a total of 61 domestic flights (conducted by fiveIndonesian airlines) lack approval to operate these routes from the Transportation Ministry. Apart from the five airlines, these violations also involve authorities at five airports: Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (nearby Jakarta), Kuala Namu International Airport (North Sumatra), Juanda International Airport (East Java), Ngurah Rai International Airport (Bali), and Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport (South Sulawesi).
Flight Schedule Violations Indonesia:
| Involved Airline | Number of Flight Schedule Violations |
| Lion Air | 35 flights |
| Wings Air | 18 flights |
| Garuda Indonesia | 4 flights |
| Susi Air | 3 flights |
| Trans Nusa | 1 flight |
| Involved Airports | Location |
| Soekarno-Hatta International Airport | West Java |
| Kuala Namu International Airport | North Sumatra |
| Juanda International Airport | East Java |
| Ngurah Rai International Airport | Bali |
| Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport | South Sulawesi |
Source: Antara News Agency
Jonan said that all these 61 flights have been suspended and airlines are required to file for the necessary permits first before flights can be resumed. The Minister did not mention any other sanctions besides the suspension of the flights.
Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry had started a jointly investigation together with Indonesia’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) after it became known that AirAsia Flight QZ8501 had been flying between Surabaya and Singapore illegally for two months. Although this violation is not directly related to the actual crash, it does provide another example of unprofessionalism or corrupt behaviour among Indonesia’s civil service. Although Indonesian governments in the post-Suharto era have emphasized their desire to curtail widespread corruption within the nation’s business and government circles, progress has been slow as corruption is more-or-less ‘institutionalized’ in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. In the past week, the flight schedule violation of AirAsia (Surabaya-Singapore route) has already led to the dismissal of seven people within the Transportation Ministry as wells as airport staff members.
Further Reading:
• Analysis of Corruption in Indonesia
• Indonesia’s Aviation Industry: AirAsia Crash Exposes Violations