- Control tower officials and airport operator suspended after deadly crash
- Officials claim AirAsia 8501 took off from Indonesia without proper permits
- It is part of a crackdown on the country's poor air safety standards
The Indonesian government has suspended air control officials and an airport operator in a crackdown over the problems which allowed the doomed AirAsia Flight 8501 to take off without proper permits.
The aircraft was traveling between Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, and Singapore on a Sunday when it crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 162 on board.
Officials have since said its permit for the popular route was only for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and that AirAsia quietly switched three of those days.
A number of people have been suspended from Surabaya airport (pictured) after allowing the doomed AirAsia flight to take off without the proper permits. File image used
Bodies of those killed in the tragedy are transferred to Surabaya from a rescue aircraft
Officials in Singapore, however, have said the plane was authorized to fly on Sundays from its end.
Highlighting the depths of the country's air safety problems, the transportation ministry announced the harsh new measures and warned it would examine the permits of all other airlines flying in the country.
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Djoko Murjatmodjo, acting director general of air transportation, said: 'Who knows if other airlines are doing the same thing?'
Murjatmodjo said key individuals who allowed to plane to fly without permits would be suspended while the investigation was pending.
His ministry also issued a directive ordering all airlines to provide pilots with up-to-date weather reports before they take off.
Currently, it's up to the captain and co-pilot to research and evaluate flying conditions before departing. In other countries, carriers' flight operations departments perform that task for them.
He also planned to meet Monday with the Corruption Eradication Commission to discuss whether to investigate AirAsia's operations.
Relatives of one of the plane crash victims wear masks as they prepare for the handover of a body of a loved one
An elderly woman gasps as she waits for the body of loved one to be transferred to a hospital
Business in the country is commonly conducted using bribery, with payoffs often seen as the most efficient way to get things done.
The crackdown comes as searchers continue to fight bad weather while combing the Java Sea for bodies and wreckage of the Airbus A320 that crashed on December 28, killing all 162 passengers and crew on board.
Applications for specific routes take into account issues including air traffic rights and airport takeoff and landing slots.
While the airline is being investigated, Indonesia has banned all AirAsia flights between Surabaya and Singapore.
Rescue workers carry a body, covered by a black sheet, into an Indonesian hospital
Pictured left, coffins for those killed in the disaster are stacked atop one another, while right, rescue team members sit beside the bodies of those being transferred to hospital
AirAsia Indonesia President Director Sunu Widyatmoko said that the airline will co-operate with the government during the evaluation, but would not comment on the permit allegations until the process was complete.
Violation of the regulations would boost legal arguments for passengers' family members seeking compensation, said Alvin Lie, a former lawmaker and aviation analyst. But he added AirAsia would not be the only one to blame.
'The Surabaya-Singapore flights have been operating since October ... and the government didn't know,' he said. 'Where was the government's supervision?'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2897458/Indonesian-government-suspends-control-tower-staff-allowed-AirAsia-flight-8501-without-permits-punish-airport-s-operators.html#ixzz3O0YL4Cni
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