T3 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on Indonesia’s stakeholders to develop an aviation masterplan based on global standards to ensure that the industry is performing at its best. IATA identified three potential elements to be addressed in the masterplan including improved safety, ensuring capacity and a smart regulation framework.
Tony Tyler, director general and CEO for IATA, said, “Indonesia’s aviation potential is huge. By 2034, it is expected to be the sixth largest market for air travel. By then some 270 million passengers are expected to fly to, from and within the country. That’s three times the size of today’s market. There is a big role for collective leadership among industry partners – including the government – to make the aviation sector flourish. Indonesia needs an aviation masterplan based on global standards and developed in partnership with aviation stakeholders including the government. Such a plan should set a common vision for addressing top priorities such as safety, capacity and regulation. And of course it must be followed by real actions.”
The safety standards of Indonesian aerospace is a primary concern for IATA given that only one airline, Garuda Indonesia, is registered as part of its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). Also, Indonesia has had at least one hull loss every year since 2010. Since 2009, IOSA registered carriers recorded a better safety performance than those airlines not on the registry. In 2014, IOSA registered airlines had one accident for every 900,000 flights, compared to one accident for every 300,000 flights for those not on the registry.
Tyler added, “Turning around a safety record is not easy. The best laid plans need to be followed up with concrete actions. Where this has been done in Latin America, China, and Nigeria for example, we have seen significant and sustainable improvements. Setting IOSA as one of the standards required for an Indonesian air operator certificate (AOC) is but one of many needed actions.”
Regarding capacity, IATA praised the Indonesian Government’s plans to construct another 62 airports over the next five years, and also its plans to expand the terminals at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. However, Tyler believes that the increase in passenger numbers would require Soekarno-Hatta to be developed even further.
“Indonesia needs a hub. The most efficient solution is to maximize the potential of one airport – Soekarno-Hatta – where significant investment has already been made. The vision would be something like the super terminals that we see in Beijing, Hong Kong or Incheon airports. By starting from scratch and working in close consultation with the airlines, I am confident that we would achieve a world-class facility designed around key new technological innovations such as those in the IATA Fast Travel program or the new risk-based process innovations that Smart Security is developing.”