AirAsia X Indonesia delays first Bali-Melbourne flight
Cindy Silviana & Al-Zaquan Amer HamzahPublished: Jan 22, 2015 11:54 AM | Updated: Jan 22, 2015 12:08 PM
Long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X Indonesia has delayed indefinitely the launch of its inaugural flight between Bali and Melbourne after failing to get the approval of Australian regulators, airline and airport officials said yesterday.
Long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X Indonesia has delayed indefinitely the launch of its inaugural flight between Bali and Melbourne after failing to get the approval of Australian regulators, airline and airport officials said yesterday.
Approvals were not forthcoming partly due to Australian concerns about Indonesia’s aviation safety record, especially after a plane operated by sister airline AirAsia Indonesia crashed last month, said a source familiar with the situation.
AirAsia X Indonesia, an affiliate of Malaysian long-haul budget airline AirAsia X Bhd, started selling tickets for flights between Denpasar, the capital of Bali, and Melbourne on Oct 28.
The airline said on Tuesday that an “unforeseen delay in acquiring confirmation from a third party organisation” led to the delay.
AirAsia X Indonesia said that it was working with Indonesia’s Directorate-General of Civil Aviation and Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (Casa) to complete the “administration process” as soon as possible, a company spokesperson said yesterday.
Farid Indra Nugraha, corporate secretary of Indonesian airport operator Angkasa Pura I, told Reuters yesterday that “AirAsia X didn’t get approval from the Australian government”.
Casa said it was still in the process of assessing the company’s application for permission to fly out of Melbourne.
“Casa still needs to complete its assessment of safety and regulatory information relevant to that application and cannot make a decision about the matter until we have done so,” it said in an emailed statement. A spokesperson declined to comment on any specific safety concerns.
Indonesia’s patchy airline safety record has been in the spotlight after the Indonesia AirAsia Airbus A320 crashed into the Java Sea on Dec 28, killing all 162 people on board.
In 2007 the European Commission banned all Indonesia-based airlines from flying to the European Union after a series of accidents. Exemptions to that ban have since been granted to some carriers, including PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk and AirAsia Indonesia.
However AirAsia X Indonesia, which was set up only last year, is on the EU list.
Indonesia’s transport minister proposed on Tuesday several changes to improve aviation safety standards in the country.
- Reuters
Approvals were not forthcoming partly due to Australian concerns about Indonesia’s aviation safety record, especially after a plane operated by sister airline AirAsia Indonesia crashed last month, said a source familiar with the situation.
AirAsia X Indonesia, an affiliate of Malaysian long-haul budget airline AirAsia X Bhd, started selling tickets for flights between Denpasar, the capital of Bali, and Melbourne on Oct 28.
The airline said on Tuesday that an “unforeseen delay in acquiring confirmation from a third party organisation” led to the delay.
AirAsia X Indonesia said that it was working with Indonesia’s Directorate-General of Civil Aviation and Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (Casa) to complete the “administration process” as soon as possible, a company spokesperson said yesterday.
Farid Indra Nugraha, corporate secretary of Indonesian airport operator Angkasa Pura I, told Reuters yesterday that “AirAsia X didn’t get approval from the Australian government”.
Casa said it was still in the process of assessing the company’s application for permission to fly out of Melbourne.
“Casa still needs to complete its assessment of safety and regulatory information relevant to that application and cannot make a decision about the matter until we have done so,” it said in an emailed statement. A spokesperson declined to comment on any specific safety concerns.
Indonesia’s patchy airline safety record has been in the spotlight after the Indonesia AirAsia Airbus A320 crashed into the Java Sea on Dec 28, killing all 162 people on board.
In 2007 the European Commission banned all Indonesia-based airlines from flying to the European Union after a series of accidents. Exemptions to that ban have since been granted to some carriers, including PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk and AirAsia Indonesia.
However AirAsia X Indonesia, which was set up only last year, is on the EU list.
Indonesia’s transport minister proposed on Tuesday several changes to improve aviation safety standards in the country.
- Reuters
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