REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- AirAsia Indonesia had verbally proposed a change in its flight schedule from Surabaya, East Java, to Singapore to the Indonesian Transportation Ministry's Chief of Directorate of Air Transportation, the airline's President Director Sunu Widyatmoko stated.
"As per the initial schedule, we were allowed to fly four days a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. But, we had verbally proposed a correction in flight schedule to the official at the Transportation Ministry," Sunu noted during a hearing session at the parliament building with members of the Commission V of the House of Representatives.
Sunu explained that AirAsia Indonesia was initially seeking a verbal approval from the Transportation Ministry's official, after which it would have officially applied for a change in flight schedule for the Surabaya-Singapore route.
"There is an administrative mistake that our official proposal did not reach the officials at the Directorate of Air Transportation. This is a correction for us," Sunu remarked.
Earlier, Transportation Ministry's Acting Director General for Air Transportation Djoko Murdjatmojo stated that the low-cost carrier Indonesia AirAsia has violated an agreed flight schedule for its Surabaya (East Java province) to Singapore route.
"Based on our observation, AirAsia does not fly in accordance with the schedule agreed with the government," Djoko stated at a press conference.
According to Foreign Flight Permit Letter Number AU/008/30/6/DRJU/DAU issued for the year of 2014/2015, AirAsia's flight services on the Surabaya to Singapore route are supposed to be on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. However, the ill-fated AirAsia flight QZ8501 crashed on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014, he pointed out.
Djoko remarked that if AirAsia wanted to change its flight schedule, it should have sent an official proposal to the Directorate General for Air Transportation.
"We never received any official letter from AirAsia requesting a change in its flight schedule," Djoko emphasized.
He noted that the Transportation Ministry will soon conduct an audit on the related authorities involved in AirAsia's scheduling case. Djoko said he will revoke the flight permits of airlines that violate the agreed flight schedules.
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