DPR Deemed That The Sriwijaya Air SJ 182 Plane Crash Was Caused By Old Engine Age And Low Fares

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Ridwan Bae, views that the Sriwijaya Air SJ182 plane crash was caused by the old aircraft age and the low price of airline tickets.

He conveyed this after reviewing the handling of the search for victims and aircraft debris at the JICT II Integrated Command Post, Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

"In the view of the world, Indonesia has a little bit that the problems in our flight are a little vulnerable," Ridwan said at the location, Monday, January 11.

Ridwan said, the old age of the flight is one of the problems with the aircraft's feasibility in operation. It is known that the Sriwijaya plane that crashed in the waters of the Thousand Islands was 26.7 years old.

"The age of the aircraft itself. Is it worth the age of over 20 years to still be used in our domestic flights? Is it worth it that our aircraft have spare parts without requiring serious, serious attention?" said Ridwan.

Second, about the cheap airfare. According to Ridwan, there are indications that low-cost aircraft are not paying attention to safety factors.

"Because of the low cost, basically, according to the person 's thinking, this is possible without ignoring the issue of spare parts which are very much needed in its seriousness," said Ridwan.

Therefore, in the near future, the DPR will summon the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi to ask for clarification regarding the downing of the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 plane.

"Commission V will explore more about these problems what actually happened. We must talk about the issue of age and low cost aircraft," he said.

For information, the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 aircraft crashed around the waters of Male Island and Lancang Island, Seribu Islands, DKI Jakarta, Saturday, January 9. One of the things that was highlighted by this incident was the age of the aircraft.

Referring to planespotters, the Boeing 737-500 aircraft used by Sriwijaya Air in this incident was an alert from the Boeing factory in Renton, Seattle. This aircraft first flew on May 13, 1994. This means that this aircraft has a lifespan of about 26.7 years.

The first user of this aircraft was the American airline (US), Continental Airlines on May 31, 1994. Then, this plane changed hands to another Uncle Sam's airline, United Airlines since October 1, 2010. Then, Sriwijaya Air used the plane since May 15, 2012.

Initially, the Ministry of Transportation issued Permenhub 155 Number 2016 concerning Aircraft Age Limits.

In this regulation, the age of passenger aircraft in the transport category that is registered and operated for the first time in the territory of Indonesia is 15 years at the maximum. Then, for passenger aircraft other than the transport category, the maximum is 20 years.

For aircraft, the Transport and Aircraft Category Other than the Transport Category for air transport, specifically for cargo (freighter), is 30 years old at most. Meanwhile, for helicopter transportation, the maximum is 20 years.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Transportation has revoked the maximum age limit for commercial aircraft through Regulation of the Minister of Transportation (Permenhub) 27 Number 2020.

"Minister of Transportation Regulation No. 155 of 2016 concerning the Age Limit for Airplanes used for Commercial Air Transportation activities are revoked and declared invalid, "said Minister of Transportation Regulation 27 Number 2020.

The related parties together with the NTSC are carrying out an investigation to find out the cause of the Sriwijaya Air SJ182 plane crash.