Improving Aviation Safety in Indonesia : How Many More Accidents ?

Numerous and consecutive aircraft accidents combined with a consistent failure to meet international safety standards in Indonesia, namely from the International Civil Aviation Organization and the European Aviation Safety Agency have proven a nightmare for the country’s aviation safety reputation. There is an urgent need for bureaucracy reform, harmonization of legislation, and especially ensuring legal enforcement, to bring Indonesian aviation safety back to world standards. The Indonesian Aviation Law of 2009 was enacted to reform the situation in Indonesia. The law has become the ground for drafting legal framework under decrees of the Minister of Transportation, which have allowed the government to perform follow-up actions such as establishing a single air navigation service provider and guaranteeing the independency of the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee. A comparison with Thailand is made to enrich the perspective. Finally, foreign aviation entities have a role to assist states, in this case Indonesia, in improving its aviation safety, considering the global nature of air travel.


INTRODUCTION
Sadly, aircraft accidents continue to occur on a regular basis in Indonesia. It seems unstoppable. While aircraft accidents from the neighbouring ASEAN countries such as the Philippines (which is also an archipelagic country), Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore remain a comparatively rare occurrence, it seems that aviation in Indonesia has become synonymous with accidents.
As a consequence, currently the world, through the perspective of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), has seen flying in Indonesia as abnormally risky.
Through its audit in 2007, followed by the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), a conclusion has been made that Indonesian aviation safety is below international standards. A ban or 'sanction' towards Indonesian aviation is the next potential step. A reprieve however came in August 2016 when the FAA increased Indonesia's status back to level one -or the highest standard.
Substandard aviation safety in Indonesia occurs due domestic obstacles to providing proper legal enforcement, bureaucratic reform, and sufficient human resources that are the result of a legal framework that has not kept pace with the rapid development of the Indonesian aviation business. Thus many Indonesian airlines may be fully aware that they are not operating in the safest possible manner, but currently lack sufficient governmental guidance and means to rectify the situation. This is a gap that must be solved immediately for the sake of all airline passengers' lives.
The situation has spurred the Indo- and also numerous 'minor' accidents like skidding.
In order to provide a comprehensive thus losing in all other aspects (see Table 1).

Indonesia also lagged behind Malaysia and
Singapore. Speaking of the latter, its level of aviation safety is overwhelming, not only to compared to Indonesia but also to the world, where their average score reaches more than 96 (of 100), with a perfect score at three as- The latest scores (September 2016) in Table 2 (2015) September (2016) March (2015) September ( (2015) September (2016) March (2015) September ( As seen from the cases above, the urgency for high quality DGCA inspectors is real; and they must also be in sufficient number. To answer this need, the Minister of and v.) airworthiness and aircraft operation inspector. 58 Such classification is to make them more focused on their particular job.
The right man at the right place principle must be highly promoted. with a score of 100 and 81.82 (see Table 1).
This reality must be first admitted by the DGCA to become the basis for reforming its bureaucracy and management to improve legal enforcement.

Reforming the bureaucracy and its management
All of the solutions above to improve aviation safety are invariably dependent on the readiness of the DGCA as the main overseer.
Reform within the DGCA, and also other related institutions such as national air navigation service provider, must be made to improve its management function together with human resource quality and quantity. The IOSA Standards and Recommended Practices (ISARPs) are applicable only to an operator that operates a minimum (i.e. one or more) two-pilot, multiengine aircraft that have a maximum certificated takeoff mass in excess of 5,700 kg (12,566 lb) for the conduct of i) commercial passengers flight with or without cabin crew; and ii) commercial cargo flights with or without the carriage of supernumeraries or cargo attendants.
have continued during the last decade. Unfortunately, it seems that Indonesian aviation safety level has not improved that much, thus raising questions whether the government really has the willingness to take on this task. Their poor progress could also be further interpreted as actively infringing on human rights, namely failure to protect the right to life. Finally, legal framework is a product of political consensus, and in terms of aviation safety, Indonesia will not seriously improve without the Indonesian government's strong political will. Otherwise, all discussion of airline safety will remain just lip service. At the very least an accident free record until the end of 2017 could become a new starting point for proving that legal enforcement together with political will has been realized.