TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan has a well-grounded reason to delay the opening of the new Terminal 3 Ultimate at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport: It has failed to meet safety standards.

The delay has dashed the hopes of people who wanted to see a new terminal completed before the Lebaran holidays. At a glance, the magnificent structure adorned with traditional ornaments from across the archipelago looks quite immaculate. Containing 28 domestic and international gates, the terminal is even touted as being on par with Singapore's Changi Airport. Having the capacity to accommodate 25 million passengers a year, the Rp7 trillion terminal will become a significant alternative to the Soekarno-Hatta terminals that these days cater to an overwhelming 60 million travelers. This is perhaps the reason behind Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Rizal Ramli's insistence that President Joko Widodo launch the terminal's opening before Lebaran.

Ministry Rizal pointed out that the electricity shortage issue could be fixed, but apparently that is not the critical issue. It is all about safety. Planes maneuvering around the terminal are not directly visible to the air traffic control (ATC) tower. The transport ministry has ordered the terminal to resolve this issue before the official launching. Athough the ATC belongs to the Indonesian Flight Navigation Service AirNav Indonesia, not Angkasa Pura II as the airport operator, the transport ministry's requirement must nevertheless be met.

According to regulations, the ATC must have direct vision of the air traffic. Even though the old Terminal 3 has the same lack of visibility problem, which has been remedied with CCTVs, this shortcoming must not be allowed at Terminal 3 Ultimate. The obstruction of the ATC's visibility on plane maneuverings from the old Terminal 3 roof must be promptly cleared.

In the interest of safety, the government must avoid imposing a deadline. Minister Jonan should be lauded for his decision in prioritizing public safety. However, Jonan must also fix the coordination snags within his own ministry. Prior to the delay, airport authority Angkasa Pura II said that it had obtained the green light from one of the directorates at the transport ministry. The airport operator, coordinating intensively with the ministries of state-owned enterprises (SOE), transport and other related parties, was optimistic it could launch the terminal on June 20. Nevertheless, the delay had many people wondering why Minister Jonan raised the safety issue just three days before the date.

Nonetheless, Jonan's valid reason of requiring all tiers within the airport administration to adhere to the international Civil Aviation Regulation (CAR) standards is commendable. This is particularly the case, as Indonesia will soon nominate itself to be a member of the International Organization for Civil Aviation (ICAO) this coming September.

Jonan's objective will be tested after a series of improvements on Terminal 3 Ultimate by Angkasa Pura II are completed, such as the construction of an airport control tower that meets standards. If such improvements still fail to satisfy the ministry's requirements, then suspicions may arise that there were indeed 'non-technical' reasons behind the delay, such as the rumored appointment of Budi Karya, CEO of Angkasa Pura II, as the new transport minister when the long-awaited cabinet reshuffle takes place. (*)

Read the full interview in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine