Source: Radio Australia Author: 07/26/2008
Subject Concerned: Government Airlines
Indonesia says the European Union's decision to extend a flight ban on all Indonesian airlines for safety reasons could be politically motivated.
The European Commission and the EU's Air Safety Committee unanimously rejected a request by Indonesian airlines to be taken off the region's blacklist of unsafe airlines.
A foreign ministry spokesman says the EU always puts its actions in technical terms, but Indonesia wants to know if there are political motives behind the decision.
The EU found three key airlines that had applied for a lifting of the ban, including flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia, could not be confirmed as safe enough for European skies, despite concerted efforts to improve safety.
The ban was imposed on Indonesian airlines last year.