Indonesia has Grounded Four Airlines for Safety Standards

Indonesia has grounded four airlines and given them three months to improve safety standards or face a ban. A safety audit found airlines Pura Wisata Baruna, Sampoerna Air Nusantara, Dabi Air Nusantara and Atlas Deltasatya failed to meet minimum standards in several safety categories, spokesman Bambang Ervan told AFP.

The airlines have been moved into the transport ministry's bottom safety ranking and have had their Air Operator's Certificates (AOC) suspended with effect from October 7, Ervan said. "They could not comply with the requirements and safety standards," he said. Four out of five airlines that had their AOCs suspended in July have also been allowed to return to the skies after improving their safety standards, Ervan said. "But we are still closely monitoring them to ensure they continue to comply," Ervan said.

The fifth airline suspended from flying in July, Helizona, failed to meet its three-month deadline and has had its AOC revoked. The airline now has six months to fix standards before being deregistered as a business. Indonesia, an archipelago nation which relies on air routes, has one of the world's worst air safety records.