Indonesia, EU make adjustment on aviation rules

Indonesia and the European Union (EU) have signed an agreement to synchronize rules on aviation with the member countries of the group, Indonesian Transport Minister Djusman Syafei Djamal said here Thursday.

Under the agreement so called the Initial Agreement on Certain Other Aspects of Air Services which was signed on Aug. 17 in Brussels, both sides agreed to adjust articles related with the flight destination, flight safety and tax on aviation fuel as well as the articles on the competition at aviation business between Indonesia and the EU, the minister said.

"This agreement is a legal umbrella for the cooperation with 27 EU member countries, and then it could be bilaterally followed up," he said at his office here.

Both side had started to discuss such agreement, but it was delayed due to implication of travel ban from the group on Indonesia, spokesman of the ministry Bambana Ervan said.

"This agreement is a follow up of the EU travel ban lifting," Djamal said.

The European Union lifted its restriction on four Indonesian air carriers from entering its territory in early July. The four carriers included leading carrier Garuda Indonesia, Mandala Airlines, Airfast Indonesia and Prime Air.

The airliners are parts of 51 Indonesian air operators which had got travel ban by the EU to flight into its territory since July 2007 due to lack of safety standard, following a rampant air accidents that killed more than 250 people.