VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi (centre) during his visit to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Banten, on Saturday (Dec 11, 2021). ANTARA/HO-Transportation MInistry - 

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi instructed aviation industry's stakeholders to boost health protocol enforcement and perform ramp checks for aircraft and airmen to handle a surge in passengers during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

"There is a tendency of passenger ridership increasing during the Christmas and New Year holiday period," Sumadi stated in a statement here on Saturday.

The minister noted that 700 flights were operating and four thousand foreign passengers arrived in Indonesia on a daily basis.

The minister urged aviation industry stakeholders, including airport operators and authorities, airline companies, flight navigation agencies, customs and excise offices, immigration offices, quarantine offices, port health offices, and other relevant institutions to ensure the enforcement of health protocols to prevent COVID-19 cases from surging during the holiday period.

"We must ensure that passengers have completed their second vaccine doses and have shown the COVID-19 test certificate with a negative result in addition to using the contact tracing mobile application PeduliLindungi, wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, and following health protocols," Sumadi stated.

The minister also suggested authorities to designate more quarantine locations to cater to international passengers arriving in Indonesia and prevent the facilities from becoming overloaded.

Moreover, he instructed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to perform ramp inspections of flight apparatus serving passengers at airports.

"The ramp inspection activity is our effort to ensure aviation safety since it is paramount in transportation," the minister affirmed.

During his inspection of the airport, Sumadi had observed a ramp check procedure performed on an Airbus A330 aircraft bound for Bali. Officials performing the check determined the aircraft's airworthiness for serving passengers for the day, he added//ANT