Omicron Variant Emerges In Indonesia, Observer Asks To Temporarily Close International Flights

Prospective passengers walk at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten. (Intermediate Doc)

JAKARTA - Aviation observer Arista Atmadjati advised the government to temporarily close regular flights to Indonesia, following the discovery of the first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the country.

"In my opinion, it really needs to be closed temporarily except for special flights or charter flights," said Arista when contacted in Jakarta, Friday, December 12.

Arista said the government needs to provide protection for the public from the threat of transmission of the Omicron variant from abroad.

On the other hand, exceptions for charter flights are given because it is easier to check passengers with certain and specific destinations, so it is hoped that they will not have big risks compared to regular flights.

"With charter planes, it's easier for passengers to be localized because they usually come from a limited number of communities, so it's not common to have a variety of destinations," he said.

The observer from the Arista Indonesia Aviation Center (AIAC) also admitted that he was worried that if the transmission of the Omicron variant became more widespread, it would have an impact on domestic flight traffic, especially ahead of the 2021 Christmas and 2022 New Year holidays.

According to him, the long holiday at the end of the year is highly anticipated by stakeholders in the transportation sector, one of which is airlines to maximize operations that have been affected by the pandemic.

"Actually, Omicron is from abroad, if possible, don't disturb the mobility of people in the country. Moreover, the handling of COVID-19 in Indonesia has been very good and is recognized by the world," he concluded as reported by Antara.