Indonesian Transportation Ministry Bans Lion Air's Boeing 737 MAX 9 from Flying

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Transportation Ministry through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has temporarily banned flights of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft operated by low-cost carrier Lion Air. The decision was made following the mid-air crash of Alaska Airlines in the United States last week.

In response to the ban, Lion Air’s spokesperson Danang Mandala Prihantoro revealed the results of the mitigation and internal inspections conducted on their aircraft in tandem with the Boeing aircraft manufacturer and other authorities.

“Lion Air confirms that the Boeing 737 Max 9 it operates is not included in the category of aircraft that experienced the incident related to the mid-cabin door,” Danang said in an official statement, quoted on Tuesday, January 9.

Lion Air currently operates three units of Boeing 737 Max 9 and has taken preventive measures since January 5. Danang clarified that Lion Air's aircraft had a different configuration or design from the plane that experienced the blowout incident in Portland, Oregon, United States.

“Lion Air‘s Boeing 737 Max 9 is equipped with a mid-cabin emergency exit door type II active door, which means the system on the middle emergency door functions actively and can be operated properly,” he added.

He also emphasized that Lion Air‘s Boeing 737 Max 9 was not subject to the Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) number 2024-02-51 issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on January 6, 2024. This is because the aircraft does not use a non-active mid-cabin door plug. 

The Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) requires immediate inspection of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft which have inactive mid-cabin door plugs, a rule that applies to approximately 171 aircraft worldwide.

Lion Air was carrying out further inspections, focusing on the mid-cabin emergency exit door, which involves the Mid Cabin Emergency Exit Flight Lock Operational Test in an effort to meet strict aviation safety standards.

Lion Air also continued to coordinate with Boeing, Indonesian regulators, and relevant civil aviation authorities to ensure flight safety and convenience.

DEFARA DHANYA | REUTERS

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