Don’t be like Jetstar, warn Indonesia’s tourism minister

London – Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno weighed in on the recent incident that resulted in Australia’s Jetstar flight being denied landing at Bali’s Denpasar airport last week.

The incident involved Jetstar Airways flight JQ35, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, from Melbourne (MEL) to Denpasar (DPS), Bali.

The plane flew for about four hours before making an unscheduled connection and returning to its departure point in Melbourne.

The flight was via mainland Australia and returned after flying over the North West to the popular Indonesian tourist destination.

The airline said the diversion was due to “miscommunication” when it failed to inform Indonesian aviation authorities that it had switched the larger 787 Dreamliner to the scheduled route instead of an approved Airbus A321.

As travel demand continues to surge, Jetstar has replaced the wide-body Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on the flight to accommodate more passengers.

According to Indonesian sources, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandia Gauno has addressed the issue and, citing the recent Jetstar incident as an excuse, urged all airlines to make due diligence to comply with the procedure.

“Jetstar is currently conducting a full review of the incident and will take steps to prevent it from happening again,” the minister said, Detik Travel reported.

“(My department) also reminds all airlines to be more diligent in following the rules and regulations – for the safety of us all.”

The minister emphasized that all domestic and international commercial air operators must comply with relevant procedures in Indonesia, especially those related to aviation safety.

In his statement issued yesterday, January 3, he further said: “The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy would like to remind all airlines to follow the procedures in place. These rules are enforced for our collective safety.”

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Indonesia is currently bracing for an influx of Chinese tourists as China lifts travel restrictions on inbound and outbound air travel.

Local news source Tempo quoted Minister Sandiaga as saying that Air China had repeatedly asked for direct flights to Jakarta and Bali.

According to reports, the subject airlines include Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. Previously, Chinese tourists who wanted to go to Bali, Indonesia, had to transit through Singapore.

With the ensuing increase in travel activity in and out of Indonesia, local authorities are right to be cautious in calling on airlines to follow proper procedural protocols.