Ministry Of Transportation Urges Residents Around Airports Not To Burn Garbage Or Land For Aviation Security

South Kalimantan BPBD officers tried to extinguish the fire of forest and land fires in the ring area of Syamsudin Noor International Airport in Landasan Ulin District, Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, Wednesday, June 21, 2023. (ANTARA-Bayu Pratama S).

The Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) appealed to the public to increase awareness of potential fires that could disrupt flight activities in their respective areas.

Some of the fires that have recently occurred, both naturally and intentionally by individuals or people who do not know the dangers of burning garbage or land around the airport area. Therefore, all parties need to take preventive measures to maintain flight safety and security," said Director General of Civil Aviation M. Kristi Endah Murni in Jakarta, Tuesday, September 19, quoted by Antara.

He said the dry season and strong winds could increase the risk of fires, especially in vulnerable areas and still have vacant land around airport areas.

As happened at Frans Seda Maumere Airport in Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) on September 17, 2023 morning, hotspots were found outside the airport area in the form of agricultural land for residents. Blowing strong winds in the area caused fires to spread into the air.

Aviation Accident Rescue Officers and Firefighters (PK-PPK) assisted by other units then extinguished them so that the fire could be extinguished at around 14.30 WITA.

No flight operations were affected by the fire.

Previously, there had also been the same fire incident at Tunggul Wulung Airport in Cilacap and PK-PPK officers had acted quickly in overcoming the fire at the airport.

For this reason, Kristi appealed to the public not to burn garbage or land, especially around the airport area.

"The fire will spread quickly because it is in the dry season and the wind is relatively strong, so it has the potential to threaten flight operational safety and security," he said.

In addition, Kristi reminded to be careful in using objects that have the potential to trigger fires, such as especially cigarette butts and matches and then make sure that the object is really in a extinguished condition and dumped in a safe place.

If the public knows or sees signs of a fire, they can immediately contact the local firefighters or emergency numbers and report the incident to the airport so that it can help prevent the impact from becoming wider.

He also instructed all Heads of Airport Authoritys and Heads of Airport Administrators Units to conduct more frequent inspections around their respective airports, and mitigate early on the potential hazards that will occur.

"For PK-PPK officers and operational vehicles to always be ready and ensure that these officers and equipment are in a condition that is ready to be used," he said.