INDONESIA: Check Your Passport For Any Damage Before Traveling To Indonesia

Bali-bound travellers are being refused entry to Indonesia for using damaged passports, as the Indonesian government strictly enforces its immigration laws, demanding "good" condition passports from tourists.

Indonesian immigration authorities have cracked down on tourists travelling with damaged passports in recent months, after the story of a British couple who flew to Bali in October but were denied entry because of a travel document with a missing chunk, their excuse was - the dog tried to eat it

The West Australian, authorities in Indonesia have begun enforcing a US$5,000 fine on airlines that allow travellers with damaged passports to board flights to the Southeast Asian nation and passengers at Perth airport were being turned away because of these tighter restrictions.

Speaking to The West Australian, a passenger whose partner had been refused boarding of a Batik Air flight to Bali was told that 20 tourists had been stopped from travelling to Bali for the same reason in the past month.

An increasing number of tourists have reportedly been refused entry to Bali because their passports were considered "damaged" by Indonesian immigration authorities.

This month The Daily Mail reported that a 16-year-old girl was blocked from entering Bali and forced to spend 11 hours in an airport before she was sent home because of a tear in her passport.

In November, a newlywed couple from UK celebrating their honeymoon with a £4,000 trip to Bali were also reportedly denied access to the island after their dog had chewed the corner of the groom's passport.

But to what extent does a damaged passport normally preclude travel?

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) explains what are the categorisations of damaged passport on their website.

Damaged passports

It is your responsibility to keep your passport intact and in good condition.

Normal wear and tear will not affect its usability, but serious damage to your passport could prevent you from travelling overseas.

Contact with water or other liquids can cause serious damage.

You must not tear or remove pages from your passport.

It is critical that all the details and the photos on the personal data pages are legible and clear, and that there is no evidence of alteration or tampering with any aspect of the booklet.

If you are unsure whether your passport's condition is good enough for travel, you should seek advice from the Passport Information Service on 131 232 or from an Australian diplomatic mission or consulate.

When contacted by SBS Indonesian, Hermanus Dimara, Consul for Information, Social and Culture of the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney, said that the general rule regarding what constitutes a damaged passport is if the data in the passport cannot be read by the system.

But it's not that simple.

Mr Dimara added that the final decision was made by immigration officers in the field, who check the physical condition of the passport and decide whether the passport holder is allowed to pass through Indonesian immigration.

Are airlines culpable?

In further crackdown, The West Australian reports that Indonesian authorities are imposing heavier restrictions and fines on airlines that carry passengers with damaged passports.

It was reported that Indonesia also fined airlines US$5,000 ($7,131) for each passenger denied entry under the strict rule.

The Head of Public Relations and General Affairs of the Indonesian Directorate General of Immigration, Teodorus Simarmata, gave a statement regarding the issue of damaged passports that had been experienced by Australian citizens headed to Bali.

Responding to the news, here are some related matters.

1. Rejection of the foreigner resulting in airlines paying expenses only applies in the following cases:

A passenger who does not have a travel document;

A passenger who does not have a visa, subject to foreigners who are required to have a visa to enter Indonesia;

A passenger who does not have a legitimate and valid Immigration Document - the validity period of the passport is less than 6 months and/or the visa has expired.

2. As for the rejection of foreigners due to the damaged passport, this does not result in the cost of transportation on the airlines.

3. The imposition of expense is enforced if airlines transport passengers who are included in the criteria mentioned in point 1 above.

4. Rejection of a foreigner's entry, based on the results of examination performed by Immigration officers at the Immigration Checkpoints, is carried out as a form of sovereignty of the country.

We submit this press release to clarify the news that has been circulating in the community.

The Head of Public Relations of the Indonesian Directorate General of Immigration, Sam Fenando explained that immigration officers have the rights to prohibit both Indonesian citizens and foreigners entry, related to damaged passports, because the officers follow the Standard Operation Procedures (SOP).

Mr Fenando urged people to take good care of their passports.

Among the criteria for the damaged passport are tears, ink blurs, water-damage - Therefore you had better keep good care of your passport.


Tourism Observer

INDONESIA: Garuda Indonesia Is A Leading Airline , Denpensar The Leading Airport In Asia

Denpasar is the main international airport on the Indonesian island of Bali.

It was the second largest Indonesian airport based on total departing capacity in 2017.

Denpasar was the fourth busiest Indonesian airport for departing domestic seats last year and the second largest for international capacity.

The available two-way seats on flights serving Denpasar grew from 10.63 million in 2008 to 29.18 million in 2017, representing a substantial 174% increase.

Between 2009 and 2017 the airport experienced double-digit, year-on-year growth on six occasions.

The single largest annual increase came in 2010, with available seat numbers boosted by nearly 20% over 2009 levels. Since 2008, Denpasar has only witnessed one annual capacity contraction.

This took place in 2015, and the cuts were marginal at less than one percent. From 2010 to 2017 available capacity to and from the Balinese airport more than doubled, increasing by 108%.

Denpasar has seen a relatively even split between capacity offered on domestic and international services over the past 10 years.

In 2008 there were 5.43 million two-way seats available on domestic services. By 2017 this had grown to 14.65 million, which is equivalent to a 170% increase.

Over the same period, international capacity increased by 174% from 5.20 million seats to 14.53 million. Domestic seats accounted for 51% of the airport’s two-way capacity in 2008 and around 50% in 2017.

Indonesian-based carriers accounted for nine of the top 12 airlines at Denpasar in 2017, based on annual departing seats.

This included the four largest airlines, and eight of the top 10. National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia was the biggest single capacity provider, with more than three million departing seats, 21% of the airport’s total.

Garuda will offer 323 flights from Denpasar across 29 destinations during the week commencing 15 May, with between 45 and 47 daily departures.

Jetstar Airways was the largest international carrier in 2017.

During the week commencing 15 May it will serve eight destinations from Denpasar with the highest frequency link being Perth, which it operates three times daily.

Most of the top 12 airlines expanded their capacity from Denpasar last year. The strongest growth came from Batik Air 620% increase and NAM Air 207%.

Batik Air was a new entrant to the top 12 in 2017 increasing the number of one-way seats on offer from Denpasar from 65,000 in 2016, to 468,000 last year.

The Indonesian airline more than trebled its domestic capacity in 2017 and introduced international services to Perth and Kuala Lumpur.

Two of the top-ranked airlines cut capacity from the Bali facility last year. The largest reduction came from Indonesia AirAsia, with the LCC removing 5.4% of its seats compared to 2016.

Half of the top 12 routes from Denpasar in 2017 were domestic services. This included its biggest single link to Jakarta.

There were 3.21 million one-way seats available on the capital city connection, representing 22% of the airport’s total capacity.

Six airlines will offer 232 combined flights from Denpasar to Jakarta during the week commencing 15 May.

Three of the top-ranked routes last year were international services, with Singapore the largest of these. The biggest international country market was Australia, with nine links and 1.74 million seats available.

The largest country market outside of Asia Pacific was Qatar, which finished in seventh place.

Denpasar’s top two routes remained unchanged in 2017, with the majority of the top-ranked routes witnessing a year-on-year capacity boost comapred to 2016.

The largest increases came on services to Kuala Lumpur 60% increase over 2016 , Jakarta 24% and Doha (23%).

The Kuala Lumpur link experienced growth from existing operators, plus the introduction of services by Batik Air and AirAsia X.

The Malaysian destination subsequently overtook Surabaya to become the third largest route from Denpasar.

Three connections witnessed a year-on-year decline in seat numbers. The largest cuts came on domestic services to Surabaya 16% reduction. Melbourne dropped out of the top 12 and was replaced by Doha.

One new route has already launched to Denpasar in 2018 and that at least three more are scheduled to begin.

These include Qantas and Malindo Air introducing services to Melbourne, and Emirates adding a link to Auckland. All three services are due to commence in June.


Tourism Observer

INDIA: Love Fight Compels Qatar Airways Doha-Bali Filght To Make Unscheduled Landing At Chennai Airport

An Iranian couple's holiday to Bali ended temporarily in India when a woman forced the Doha-Bali flight of Qatar Airways to make an unscheduled landing at the Chennai airport.

The woman had unlocked her husband’s phone by putting his finger on its scanner, after which she realised that he was cheating on her.

She later started misbehaving with the crew members who tried to calm her down, the report added.

The confusion compelled the pilots to land the plane mid-way in Chennai.

Qatar Airways' Doha-Bali nonstop flight is almost 10 hours long while Chennai is midway.

The couple was offloaded at the airport.

The family spent the day at Chennai airport and was sent to Kuala Lumpur by a Batik Air flight.

Police took no action.

The airline in its statement did not comment on the matter, stating the actions were taken with respect towards passenger safety.

This incident comes a week after a Delhi-bound Jet Airways flight was diverted to the airport in Ahmedabad after a note was found on board threatening the presence of hijackers and explosives on the aircraft.

The person responsible for the letter has been detained by the city police.

Inspection by the bomb disposal squad found no explosive in the plane and the note turned out to be a hoax.

The note, allegedly placed by Mumbai-based Gujarati jeweller Birju Salla, demanded that the pilot not land at Delhi and instead should fly the aircraft to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), stating that there were 12 hijackers and a bomb in the cargo area.



Tourism Observer

INDONESIA: Batik B738 And Transnusa AT42 At Jakarta Collide

A Batik Air Boeing 737-800, registration PK-LBS performing flight ID-7703 from Jakarta Halim Perdanakusuma to Ujung Padang (Indonesia) with 49 passengers and 7 crew, was in the takeoff roll on runway 24 at 19:55L (12:55Z) when its left wing tip entangled with the vertical tail and left wing of a Transnusa Avions de Transport Regional ATR-42-600 registration PK-TNJ crossing the runway under tow and separated the most of the vertical tail plane as well as the left wing from the ATR, the left wing tank ruptured open. Both aircraft caught fire, the Boeing was evacuated via slides. Fire engines responded and were able to put the fires out in a matter of minutes. There were no injuries, both aircraft received substantial damage.

Indonesia's Ministry of Transport reported the Boeing was taxiing for departure, the ATR was under tow to a hangar when the aircraft collided causing damage to the left wing tip of the Boeing and separation of vertical tail and left wing of the ATR. There were no injuries. The airport needed to be closed however.

Ground observers reported the Boeing 737-800 was already accelerating for takeoff from runway 24, when the ATR under tow crossed the runway about 1280 meters/4200 feet down the runway. The Boeing rejected takeoff but could not stop in time to avoid the collision.

Radar data suggest the Boeing was accelerating for takeoff from runway 24 reaching about 110 knots over ground when takeoff was rejected. The aircraft came to a stop about 500 meters/1650 feet past the intersection of the runway with the only crossing taxiway.

Batik Air reported their flight was cleared for takeoff and was accelerating when the aircraft under tow crossed the runway. Their crew rejected takeoff however could not avoid the collision.

Indonesia's NTSC have opened an investigation into the accident.

On Apr 5th 2016 Lembaga Penyelenggara Pelayanan Navigasi Penerbangan Indonesia (LPPNPI), ATC provider, reported that the tower controller on duty, his assistant as well as the supervisor were relieved from duties for at least three weeks because of emotional disorders and psychological effects of the accident on them. Indonesia's NTSC in the meantime is collecting data and is going to investigate the accident.

On Apr 6th 2016 Indonesia's Ministry of Transport suspended all ground handling operations by Jasa Angkasa Semesta (JAS) at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport arguing that the ground handler failed to prevent the collision on the runway. The suspension, not affecting JAS operations on other Indonesian airports, remains in effect until JAS complies with NTSC recommendations.

On Apr 11th 2016 Indonesia's NTSC released two safety recommendations to Indonesia's Ministry of Transport as result of the investigation so far: all aircraft operating within the runway area, irrespective of being powered, towed or otherwise, should be on the same frequency and all aircraft operating within the runway area, irrespective of being powered, towed or otherwise, should activate their position lights.

On Apr 14th 2016 the French BEA reported based on preliminary information from NTSC Indonesia, that the Batik Boeing 737-800 had been cleared to enter runway 24 via taxiway C and backtrack the runway. In the meantime the tug driver of the Transnusa ATR requested clearance to cross the runway from the north to the south apron and received clearance to taxi via taxiway C, runway 06/24 and taxiway G. While crossing the runway the tug driver saw the Boeing 737 accelerate for takeoff and attempted to steer the tug and aircraft to the right runway shoulder, however the left wing of the Boeing collided with the vertical stabilizer and left wing of the ATR. The Boeing rejected takeoff and came to a stop 400 meters past the point of collision. The occurrence was rated an accident and is being investigated by Indonesia's NTSC.

INDONESIA: Lion Group To Expand Internationally

Indonesia’s Lion Group is preparing to build up its presence in the international market after focusing almost entirely on domestic operations in its initial 15 years. Lion is the largest domestic airline group outside China and the US, but has a small international operation that is only about the size of Poland’s LOT.

In a precursor to international expansion, the group has been raising its standards and seeking IOSA certification for all five airlines in its portfolio. Its Indonesian subsidiaries are also now in the process of securing an exemption from the EU blacklist.

IOSA certification and EASA approval should make it easier for the airlines under the Lion Group to secure approval from civil aviation authorities in several countries. It should also strengthen the Lion brand overseas and facilitate new codeshare partnerships.

Lion is one of the world’s 15 largest airline groups based on current seat capacity. The Lion Group currently has more than 1.7 million weekly seats, making it the largest in Southeast East – ahead of AirAsia’s approximately 1.4 million weekly seats.

Approximately 93% of Lion Group’s seat capacity is now domestic.

However, Lion has a larger concentration of domestic capacity than any of the other top 15 airline groups except Southwest Airlines. Approximately 93% of Lion Group’s seat capacity is now domestic, according to CAPA and OAG data.

In comparison, Lion’s arch-rival AirAsia allocates approximately 50% of its current seat capacity to the international market. Lion currently has approximately 125,000 weekly international seats compared with more than 700,000 for AirAsia (including AirAsia X).

Lion is more than double the size of AirAsia in domestic markets with approximately 1.6 million weekly seats, compared with approximately 700,000 for AirAsia. Globally only seven airlines, the four main US airline groups and the three main Chinese airline groups, have more domestic capacity than Lion.

Lion has started growing its international operation.

Lion’s international capacity has been increasing in recent years, but from a very low base. In 2015 the group’s annual international capacity was up nearly 20% compared with 2014, and was more than double the 2012 levels.

Lion Group’s current weekly seat capacity is up nearly 60% year-over-year compared with Apr-2015, when the group had approximately 80,000 weekly international seats. Compared with Apr-2014 it has doubled.

Nearly all of the group’s international expansion over the last couple of years has been generated by Malaysian Malindo Air. Currently Malindo has approximately 60,000 weekly international seats, while the rest of the group has approximately 65,000 weekly international seats. Malindo’s current international weekly seat capacity is nearly 60% above Apr-2015 levels and is more than three times the Apr-2014 levels.

Lion Group plans international expansion in 2016.

Malindo commenced operations in Mar-2013 and has been focusing its expansion almost entirely on the international market over the last two years, after an initial phase focused on the domestic market. Malindo currently operates 21 international routes, nine of which have been launched over the last year, and is planning further ambitious international expansion in 2H2016.

The rest of the group currently operates only 10 scheduled international routes. This includes eight for Lion Air, one for Thai Lion and one for the Indonesian full service subsidiary Batik Air. The group’s fifth airline, Wings Air, is a regional operator in Indonesia and only serves the domestic market.

Batik, Lion and Thai Lion are all planning international expansion in 2016. Thai Lion has the most aggressive plan, aiming to launch several international routes within Southeast Asia and to China over the next few months. Thai Lion commenced operations in Dec-2013 and focused in its initial phase on the Thai domestic market, where it has quickly built up a presence that is already almost as large as the long-established LCCs Nok Air and Thai AirAsia.

In Indonesia, the Lion Group strategy is generally to use the full service subsidiary Batik to expand in the international market. Batik launched its first international route, Jakarta-Singapore, in Aug-2015 and has Perth in its business plan for 2016. It is planning to accelerate international expansion in 2017 as it takes delivery of new longer-range A321neos.

The Lion Group clearly faces challenges in establishing a significant international presence. The group and its various airlines do not have known brands outside their home markets, and the group's reputation overseas has also been far from stellar.

Lion Group has been gradually working to raise its standards and improve its reputation. An initiative to certify all of its airlines under the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) began in 2014, following the establishment of a new corporate safety and quality team.

Thai Lion became the first airline to pass an IOSA audit in Sep-2015. Thai Lion was selected as the first Lion Group airline to go through the stringent IOSA process as it is the newest member of the group and was therefore the easiest at which to implement change.

The other four airlines are now in various stages of the IOSA certification process. Batik and Malindo are expected to be added to the IOSA registry within the next couple of months, followed by Lion Air in Jul-2016 and Wings Air in Sep-2016.

IOSA certification is a key milestone in Lion Group’s initiative to establish itself internationally, for several reasons.

From a regulatory standpoint, IOSA certification can make it easier to secure approvals from various authorities. For example, Batik is now in the process of seeking approval from Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

No Lion Group airline currently has any codeshares with airlines outside the group
IOSA certification is also often a requirement for codeshare agreements with other airlines. No Lion Group airline currently has any codeshares with airlines outside the group.

However Malindo is now actively seeking to partner with several foreign airlines serving Malaysia, as part of its new full service airline strategy. Over the next couple of years other Lion Group members are also expected to start exploring partnerships with airlines outside the group.

IOSA certification is also a benefit because some corporates have policies requiring employees to fly with airlines on the IOSA registry. In addition, individual consumers often opt for IOSA certified airlines. As a result, IOSA can help Lion attract more international passengers and operate international routes that may only be viable with a heavy concentration of inbound traffic.

Lion Air could be removed from EU blacklist
An exemption from the EU blacklist will further aid Lion’s international efforts, since some authorities – and some corporates – follow EASA more closely than IOSA. Removal from the blacklist would also clearly help from a consumer standpoint.

Lion found itself blacklisted through no fault of its own. EASA automatically put all Indonesian airlines on its blacklist several years ago when it determined that Indonesian authorities did not meet its standards. Airlines are able to be removed individually after applying for an exemption and undergoing a rigorous process. For example, AirAsia Indonesia and Garuda Indonesia are currently exempt from the EU blacklist after following this process.

In Nov-2015 Batik, Lion, and the Garuda budget subsidiary Citilink applied for removal from the EU blacklist. A review by EASA is now under way, with a decision on all three airlines expected in Jun-2016.

If the Batik and Lion applications are successful, the Lion Group also plans to begin the process of seeking an exemption for Wings Air.

Lion seeks to raise its international profile as its 500 aircraft orders are delivered.

The certification work under IOSA and EASA is part of a wider initiative to raise standards, which should in turn help Lion boost its international profile.

The group is also now seeking EASA approval for its maintenance facility in Batam, which is expected to be secured within the next couple of months. Lion is also now seeking FAA approval for heavy airframe checks, which will facilitate efforts to start pursuing maintenance contracts with third party customers.

Separate projects are under way to improve several other areas of the operation, including on-time performance. Only approximately 80% of Lion Air flights are on time. Batik has had a much more reliable operation since launching, with an average on-time performance of nearly 99%, as have Malindo and Thai Lion.

Lion strategically needs a much larger international presence
The Lion Group clearly recognises that it needs to raise its standards if it is to succeed at improving its brand overseas and expanding internationally. Lion strategically needs a much larger international presence as it takes delivery of the approximately 500 aircraft it has on order.

There are huge challenges to overcome, but there is also huge potential for the Lion Group in the international market.

INDONESIA: Indonesian Aviation Authorities Inspect All Airbus A320 Aircraft Registered In Indonesia

The Indonesian aviation authorities are inspecting all Airbus A320 aircraft registered in the country, following the conclusion by investigators that a technical glitch contributed to the crash of an Indonesia AirAsia plane in the Java Sea last year.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation launched the inspections on Thursday, saying it will last for six months and target a total of 75 Airbus A320 aircraft operated by four airlines registered in Jakarta.

Suprasetyo, the ministry’s director general for air transportation, says the four airlines are Indonesia AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia Extra, Citilink and Batik Air.

The first two are separate local units of Malaysia’s AirAsia Group, Asia’s largest budget carrier. Citilink is the low-cost unit of Indonesia’s national flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, while Batik Air is the premium division of the country’s largest low-cost carrier, Lion Air.

“Any A320 aircraft found to have experienced repetitive problems will be temporarily grounded,” Suprasetyo told a press briefing on Thursday.

Investigators from Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee, or KNKT, on Tuesday announced that the AirAsia plane crash in the Java Sea on Dec. 28, 2014, which killed all 162 people on board, was partly caused by repetitive failures of the plane’s rudder travel limiter unit, or RTLU, which helps control rudder movement.

Analysis of the flight data recorder retrieved from the sea showed that the RTLU failed four times since the plane took off from Surabaya, East Java at 5.35 a.m., en route to Singapore.

Investigators said RTLU failures were supposed to be a minor issue.

But the pilot’s and co-pilot’s mishandling of the problem, coupled with “ineffective communications” between them, put the aircraft in an “upset” situation — during which it nose dived sharply from a height of 32,000 to 38,000 feet, before stalling in midair and crashing into the sea.

Investigators attributed the crew’s mishandling of the situation to a lack of upset recovery training. They said AirAsia did not make the training mandatory because Airbus’ manual for the A320 said it was not required.

Airbus earlier said in an emailed statement to the Nikkei Asian Review that the manufacturer had received the final accident report from the Indonesian authorities and was carefully studying its content.

Muhammad Alwi, director for airworthiness and aircraft operations at the transport ministry, said inspectors would check “all systems of the planes”, but with a special focus on RTLUs.

Aside from inspecting the condition of the planes, Indonesia’s transportation ministry will also make upset recovery training mandatory for all airlines registered in the country.

“We will increase the frequency of flight trainings, especially on upset recovery, from once for every 12 months to once for every six months,” Suprasetyo added.

Furthermore, pilots in command will soon be obliged to report every problem they experience during flight upon landing.

This is because KNKT investigators also found that the AirAsia aircraft had experienced a total of 23 RTLU problems in the year leading up the crash. Information regarding the past glitches apparently had not reached the maintenance team before the plane was permitted to fly.

“We’re currently outlining a safety circular that will detail procedures to integrate reports of mechanical problems [experienced after every flight], manually and or electronically,” Suprasetyo said.

The ongoing inspections and the upcoming new regulations will only apply on Airbus A320 registered in Indonesia.

For Airbus A320 aircraft flying in Indonesia’s airspace that are registered in other countries, the Indonesian aviation authority will issue recommendations to its foreign counterparts to implement similar moves.

The Airbus A320 aircraft are commonly used for short- to medium-range flights. They are popular among many Southeast Asian airlines serving the region.

AirAsia Group operates a total of 160 Airbus A320 aircraft, including Indonesia AirAsia’s 29 planes. The Philippines’ Cebu Pacific Air just took delivery of its 33rd Airbus A320 in October.

Singapore’s Tiger Air operates 22 Airbus A320 aircraft.

INDONESIA: Mandatory Training For Airbus A320 After AirAsia Crash

The Indonesian aviation authorities are inspecting all Airbus A320 aircraft registered in the country, following the conclusion by investigators that a technical glitch contributed to the crash of an Indonesia AirAsia plane in the Java Sea last year.

Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation launched the inspections on Thursday, saying it will last for six months and target a total of 75 A320 aircraft operated by four airlines registered in Jakarta.

Suprasetyo, the ministry's director general for air transportation, says the four airlines are Indonesia AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia Extra, Citilink and Batik Air.

The first two are separate local units of Malaysia's AirAsia Group, Asia's largest budget carrier. Citilink is the low-cost unit of Indonesia's national flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, while Batik Air is the premium division of the country's largest low-cost carrier, Lion Air.

"Any A320 aircraft found to have experienced repetitive problems will be temporarily grounded," Suprasetyo told a press briefing on Thursday.

Investigators from Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee, or KNKT, on Tuesday announced that the AirAsia plane crash in the Java Sea on Dec. 28, 2014, which killed all 162 people on board, was partly caused by repetitive failures of the plane's rudder travel limiter unit, or RLTU, which helps control rudder movement.

Analysis of the flight data recorder retrieved from the sea showed that the RLTU failed four times since the plane took off from Surabaya, East Java at 5.35 a.m., en route to Singapore.

Investigators said RLTU failures were supposed to be a minor issue.

But the pilot's and co-pilot's mishandling of the problem, coupled with "ineffective communications" between them, put the aircraft in an "upset" situation -- during which it nose dived sharply from a height of 32,000 to 38,000 feet, before stalling in midair and crashing into the sea.

Investigators attributed the crew's mishandling of the situation to a lack of upset recovery training. They said AirAsia did not make the training mandatory because Airbus' manual for the A320 said it was not required.

Airbus earlier said in an emailed statement to the Nikkei Asian Review that the manufacturer had received the final accident report from the Indonesian authorities and was carefully studying its content.

Muhammad Alwi, director for airworthiness and aircraft operations at the transport ministry, said inspectors would check "all systems of the planes", but with a special focus on RTLUs.

Aside from inspecting the condition of the planes, Indonesia's transportation ministry will also make upset recovery training mandatory for all airlines registered in the country.

"We will increase the frequency of flight trainings, especially on upset recovery, from once for every 12 months to once for every six months," Suprasetyo added.

Furthermore, pilots in command will soon be obliged to report every problem they experience during flight upon landing.

This is because KNKT investigators also found that the AirAsia aircraft had experienced a total of 23 RLTU problems in the year leading up the crash. Information regarding the past glitches apparently had not reached the maintenance team before the plane was permitted to fly.

"We're currently outlining a safety circular that will detail procedures to integrate reports of mechanical problems [experienced after every flight], manually and or electronically," Suprasetyo said.

The ongoing inspections and the upcoming new regulations will only apply on Airbus A320 registered in Indonesia.

For A320 aircraft flying in Indonesia's airspace that are registered in other countries, the Indonesian aviation authority will issue recommendations to its foreign counterparts to implement similar moves.

The Airbus A320 are commonly used for short- to medium-range flights. They are popular among many Southeast Asian airlines serving the region.

AirAsia Group operates a total of 160 A320s, including Indonesia AirAsia's 29 planes. The Philippines' Cebu Pacific Air just took delivery of its 33rd A320 in October. Singapore's Tiger Air operates 22 A320s.

INDONESIA: Lion Air Takes Delivery Of Its First A330-300

Jakarta-based carrier to introduce popular widebody on high density routes

Indonesia’s Lion Air, part of the Lion Group, has taken delivery of its first widebody A330-300. The aircraft, powered by Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines, is the first of three A330s ordered by Lion Group and seats 440 passengers in a single class layout. The airline will use its A330 fleet on long range pilgrimage flights to Saudi Arabia, as well as on selected high density domestic routes.

“We chose the A330 for its ability to operate on a wide range of services with maximum efficiency,” said Rusdi Kirana, Co-Founder of Lion Group. “Replacing the 747, the A330 will significantly reduce operating costs on our Umrah flights. We will also use the aircraft to introduce widebody service on high capacity domestic routes, enabling more people to travel by air within Indonesia than ever before.”

“We are pleased to see Lion Air become a new operator of the best-selling A330,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. ““From shorter regional routes to long range services, the A330 does it all – and at lower cost. Lion Air will benefit strongly from the A330’s reduced operating costs, extended range capability and proven reliability, making it the perfect platform for high density low cost services.”

Lion Air first took to the skies in 2000. Today the Group operates an extensive network covering over 100 destinations in Indonesia and South East Asia, as well as long range services to Saudi Arabia. Today, 11 A320ceo are operated by Lion Group’s full service unit Batik Air; while the Group has 225 Airbus aircraft yet to be delivered, comprising 223 A320 Family aircraft and two more A330s.

The A330 is one of the most popular wide-body aircraft with over 1,500 orders, and over 1,200 delivered to some 110 operators worldwide. Offering the lowest operating costs in its category, and thanks to continuous investment and innovations, the A330 is the most profitable and best performing aircraft in its class.