This Is The Minister Of Transportation Budi Karya's 'Advice' For Airline Companies To Survive The Pandemic

JAKARTA - Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi encourages collaboration of aviation sector stakeholders through digitization and development of the non-aeronautical business as a sustainable strategy for the aviation industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This strategy must be developed properly because it can increase revenue and neutralize pressures on a business, including the aviation sector", he said in a webinar "Projection of Aviation Sector Recovery Towards a New Normal" in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Friday, April 16.

The Minister of Transportation also encouraged the collaboration of airlines with world aviation organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), by focusing on developing health protocols such as maintaining distance, health checks, touchless services, and spraying disinfectants to further increase trust. people traveling by plane in the midst of a pandemic.

He explained other efforts that could be made to survive this pandemic, namely by optimizing flight time slots and reactivating domestic routes that had not been operating.

Furthermore, Budi revealed that to restore the aviation business amid the pandemic, the government is currently carrying out a national vaccination process for transportation officers, including pilots, flight attendants/stewards, ground handling officers, airline officers, and airport officers.

This was done to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the transportation sector, which often has direct contact with the public.

"Although the government is currently carrying out a national vaccination process, I ask that the implementation of health protocol procedures starting from departure, during travel, and upon arrival be carried out to prevent the spread of COVID-19", he said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of INACA (Indonesia National Air Carriers Association) Denon Prawiraatmadja said that since the COVID-19 pandemic in early March 2020, the number of national flight passengers has decreased by around 70 percent for domestic and 60 percent for international.

The number of logistics cargo activities also decreased from 1.1 million tons to 429 thousand tons. Denon agreed that good collaboration between aviation stakeholders could revive the world of national aviation in the country.

He revealed that his party had conducted several discussion forums (FGD) with stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health, BNPB, and several stakeholders in the aviation sector.

"With a good collaboration, it is hoped that it can revive our national flights", said Denon.

Also attending the webinar were BNPB's Deputy for System and Strategy Raditya Jati, Chairman of the INACA Board of Trustees as well as Garuda Indonesia President Director Irfaniaputra, and Padjajaran University Chancellor Rina Indiastuti.