REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, CAIRO -- The Indonesian government is lobbying African countries for support in its bid to win a seat at the Council of the International civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for 2016-2019.
Former Coordinating Minister for Maritime Dwisuryo Indroyono Soesilo was here at the head of an Indonesian delegation to the 25th meeting of the African Civil Aviation Commission.
"The presence of Indonesia at the meeting of the African Civil Aviation Commission that groups 54 countries is part or our attempt to drum up support for the country's bid to win membership of the ICAO council," Indroyono told ANTARA Cairo on the sidelines of the meeting on Tuesday.
Read: Indonesia to seek ICAO council membership
Earlier, Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan said the Indonesian government had named Dr Ir Dwisuryo Indroyono Soesilo, a special envoy to ask for support from friendly countries to win the ICAO council seat.
Last month, Indroyono Soesilo led an Indonesian delegation to an international aviation forum under ICAO World Aviation Forum (IWAF) in Montreal, held at the Canadian city from 23-25 November 2015.
Indroyono said in addition to taking part in discussions of developments of international aviation and exchanging experience with other ICAO members, the Indonesian delegation used that opportunity to launch its lobby among friendly countries taking part in the meeting.
Indroyono, who was also former director of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said the Transport Ministry was cooperating closely with the Foreign Ministry in bringing to success the country's ICAO council bid.
A senior official of the Indonesian embassy in Cairo Meri Binsar Simorangkir said the transport and foreign ministries "are all out in drumming up support for ICAO Council bid."
Election for ICAO Council members will be held in September 2016.
ICAO is a U.N. organization grouping 191 countries concerned with civil aviation safety.
The Council's members are made up of 36 countries with the right to take part in its Technical Commission Meetings discussing new ICAO's drafted regulations.
The 36 council members are divided into three groups by geographical position and air space strategic importance.
The members of the council are first made up of the countries by level of interest in air transport, second, their contribution to provision of international air navigation civil facility and third, by their geographical representation of a country in air transport.
Members of the first group include Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Britain and the United States.
Countries in the second group include Argentina, Egypt, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabis , Singapore, South Africa, Spain, and Venezuela.
Those in third group are Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Republic of Dominica, Kenya, Libya, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Poland, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and Tanzania.
The ICAO Council members are elected every three years through secret ballots in ICAO Council session.
The last election took place in the 38th session of the ICAO Council in September 2013 in Canada where Indonesia failed - garnering votes just below Malaysia that won the seat.
Optimistic
Indroyono said he was optimistic Indonesia would win a seat at the ICAO council , but the country would have to improve regulations on safety aspect and aviation security in the next several months.
"If Indonesia has become member of the ICAO Council , we could actively take part in determining international civil aviation regulations," he said.
He said Indonesia deserves ICAO council membership by its geographical position that controls four main regional routes of nine main routes in the world.
In addition, quoting data from the World Bank, Indroyono said Indonesia is ranked the 8th in number air passengers in 2011-2015.
In addition, based on data from the Airport International Council (AIC), Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is the 12th busiest airport in the world in 2014, he added.
Indonesia has 1,200 units of aircraft of various types and its airports could be used by wide bodied aircraft such as Airbus planes.
"From those facts and data , indeed Indonesia very much deserves membership in ICAO Council," Indroyono said expressing his optimism.
So far, Indonesia, in five successive elections, has failed in its bid to win membership of the ICAO Council - in 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013.
Indroyono identified the reasons for the failure , saying there are internal and external factors.
Internal factor is related to policy support from relevant institutions, and it did not change or improve from one election to another, he said.
"External factor is recognition of other countries both ICAO Council members and representatives about aviation safety in Indonesia," he said.
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