Aviation Consultant: Wings Air Copilot's Penalty Unreasonable

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The unfortunate suicide case committed by Wings Air copilot Nicolaus Anjar Aji Suryo Putro is reportedly due to the fine the copilot received from the air carrier that amounted to Rp7 billion. This fantastic number is deemed unreasonable by CommunicAvia aviation consultant Gerry Soejatman.

Despite acknowledging the importance of a penalty system for violators, Gerry said what was applied by the carrier was beyond reasonable levels. 

“Regarding why the company asked for that amount of compensation, they must have their reasons. But is that number reasonable?” said Gerry Soejatman on Sunday, November 24. 

Several days ago, Nicolaus Anjar Aji Suryo Putro was found dead at his dormitory. Not far from where the young man took his own life, a piece of paper was discovered, containing his termination letter signed by Wings Air operations director and an Rp7 billion penalty. 

Gerry suspected the penalty was accumulated from a string of costs spent by the carrier for pilot training and a number of steps that a pilot needed to undergo after completing flight school. He thought the largest cost spent by an air carrier was type rating certification that would range from USD25,000-35,000, which is then traded with a pilot’s training bond period. 

However, Gerry remained realistic for the fact that many pilots ended up leaving and terminating their work commitment, thus causing air carriers such as Wings Air and Lion Air Group to be overwhelmed. “I personally disagree with the amount of the penalty, but also want for carriers to pick a reasonable number,” he said.

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