Terror Threat, Govt Raises Flight Status from Green to Yellow

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Transportation has issued a yellow status for all flights across the country due to a recent terror threat.

Nasir Usman, the director for flight safety of the Directorate General of Air Transportation, stated here on Wednesday that the yellow status was issued in a letter on Tuesday by the Directorate General of Air Transportation and the copies of which were forwarded to all airport operators in the country.

In the letter, all airports have been urged to intensify security measures and conduct a thorough examination of all passengers and their luggage. The airports have also been urged to increase vigilance against possible movements or smuggling activities in airport areas that could be categorized as terror acts.

"All airports must increase security measures and re-examine the identities of all passengers and their luggage," he noted at function in Curug, Tangerang.

He explained that the flight status was raised from green to yellow after Indonesia was found to be one of the terrorism targets after the recent terror attack on Paris, France.

If later a terror act were to take place in one of the Indonesian airports, the government would increase the yellow status level to red.

The yellow status will be lifted if all related sides declare the flights to be safe and secure for the passengers.

Nasir affirmed that there was no deadline until when this status would be lifted as security at the airports was a major concern, and the situation should be handled by establishing coordination among all parties.

"We continue to communicate with the intelligence, police, the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), and all other sides. We want to ensure that flights in the country are secured," Nasir emphasized.

ANTARA