Garuda Indonesia Contests Frequent Accidents
Friday, 19 January, 2007 | 15:30 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: PT Garuda Indonesia disputed the plane mishap data of the National Committee for Transportation Safety. Based on 2002 to 2007, Garuda’s aircraft underwent 14 mishaps, that is four accidents and 10 incidents.

“The data is incorrect,” said Garuda Indonesia’s Communication Head, Pujobroto, in his letter to Koran Tempo yesterday (18/1). According to him, during the period, Garuda only had one serious accident, on January 16, 2002.

At that time, Garuda plane did an emergency landing on the Bengawan Solo River in Klaten Central Java. All passengers and air crew, totaling 61, survived. Only one cabin crew member died.

Pujo explained, in flight industry, the safety indicator measurement is used as the incident rate, which is the total incidents per 1,000 flights. From 2006 to 2007, Garuda’s incident ratio is in fact undergoing a significant decrease.

In Koran Tempo yesterday’s edition, it was stated that during 2002 through to January 11, 2007, there were 143 airplane mishaps in Indonesia. Out of the total, Garuda Indonesia had the most mishaps.

A mishap is called an accident if it causes fatal structural damage and it is called an incident if it only shows an abnormal operation. At the next rank of most mishaps are Mandala Airlines and Merpati Nusantara Airlines (each 11 times), Trigana Air Service and Lion Air (9 times) and Pelita Air Service and Dirgantara Air Service (8 times).

According to Garuda Indonesia’s Operation Director, Ari Sapari, Garuda may have the most flight schedules so it is considered to be the most frequent to undergo mishaps. He asked the limitation between accident and incident be made clearer. “Don’t dramatize it. It’ll create the wrong perceptions,” he said two days ago.

Jobpie Sugiharto