TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Sriwijaya Air managing director Jefferson Jauwena offered his apologies for flight delays and cancellations that occurred on Thursday, November 7.

"We apologize profusely for causing inconvenience over the disruption of Sriwijaya's flight schedules yesterday," said Jefferson in a written statement, Friday, November 8.

Jefferson explained that flight delays and cancellations were attributable to operational constraints. He added that the airline had taken measures to deal with the problem as soon as possible in a bid to avert a wider impact.

"Related to the disturbance, we have made several recovery efforts. And for that, on behalf of the management, we truly appreciate all employees’ work since most of the flight schedules have returned to normal operation today,” he added.

Previously, another dispute between Sriwijaya and Garuda Indonesia was said to be the cause of Sriwijaya’s flight delays and cancellations at Soekarno-Hatta Airport after Garuda announced on Thursday that Sriwijaya was no longer a member of its group.

Meanwhile, the Transportation Ministry stated it would keep an eye on flights of Sriwijaya Air and Nam Air operated by Sriwijaya Group for various routes.

“We will ensure the safety, security, and convenience of would-be passengers of Sriwijaya Air and Nam Air, and we will ensure the rights of passengers who suffered the delays would be fulfilled by Sriwijaya under prevailing regulations,” said Air Transportation Director-General Polana B. Pramesti in a statement, Friday, November 8.

CAESAR AKBAR