ASEAN Open Sky Policy May Hurt Indonesia
20 November 2014 14:22 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Ahead of the ASEAN Open Sky Policy that will take off in 2015, industry experts and representatives worry. Indonesia is considered unready to embrace the policy, and might end up serving as a market only for its ASEAN neighbors.
Erik Meijer, executive vice president for sales and marketing at state-run airliner Garuda Indonesia, had said that the ASEAN Open Sky 2015 is more profitable to other countries because Indonesia—as a large country—has more airports compared to its ASEAN neighbors.
For example, Erik said, Singaporean airlines will be able to five airports in Indonesia, while Indonesian carriers can only fly to one airport in Singapore. This is also applicable to other ASEAN countries flying into Indonesia.
Echoing a sentiment-similar, aviation expert Ilham Akbar Habibie said there will be discrepancies if Indonesia opens all of its airports. However, he stated his support for Indonesia to embrace the Open Sky Policy, provided it is done gradually.
"Indonesia must do this in stages. We cannot open all of our 29 airports," he said at the ASEAN Open Sky seminar in Jakarta, yesterday.
Acting director Transportation Ministry's Air Transport, Djoko Murjatmojo, said the government will help national carriers to face the Open Sky 2015. "The government will prepare regulatory incentives to support national airlines," Djoko said last week.
According to Djoko, the incentives include duty exemption to aircraft spare parts, principal component cost reduction, and reduction in jet fuel purchase prices.
AMIRULLAH | DEVY ERNIS | KHAIRUL ANAM |