AirAsia - Oppdatering 5. januar

AirAsia flight QZ8501: Black box 'not far' from where large objects were found, says search ops chief

Published on Jan 4, 2015 8:51 PM

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Members of an Indonesian search and rescue team carry items for investigation, found during the search operation for the missing AirAsia flight 8501, after being delivered by a Singapore Super Puma helicopter from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) RSS Persistence in Pangkalan Bun on Jan 4, 2015. -- PHOTO: AFP

JAKARTA - The chief of Indonesia's search and rescue agency Basarnas expressed optimism on Sunday that the black box of AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501 was located "not far" from five large objects the search operation had spotted in the Java Sea.
"The black box should not be far from the five significant objects we found," Mr Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo told a media briefing at the agency's headquarters in Jakarta late on Sunday.
Officials had believed they were close to a major breakthrough after pinpointing five large objects on the sea floor thought to be parts of the Airbus A320-200 jet this weekend.
But Mr Bambang Soelistyo noted the ongoing difficulty facing the multinational recovery operation: "Our challeng is mud. Lots of mud at the sea bottom."
Up to now, he said, no vessels had detected any signal beamed from the black boxes, or flight recorders.
Mr Bambang Soelistyo also confirmed that 34 bodies had been found so far, eight days after the jetliner crashed en route from Surabaya to Singapore with 162 people onboard.
All the bodies had been sent to the identification centre in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city.
He said five vessels with the ability to locate black boxes will be assigned on Monday. The weather also remains a problem, he said.
"Several (divers) tried to dive but had to return. Safety is also important for rescuers," he told reporters.
"Finding the black box and victims' bodies are our two top priorities. We will do our utmost to locate them," he said.

AirAsia flight QZ8501: Indonesia mandates pilot briefings; wants action taken over 

unauthorised flights

PUBLISHED ON JAN 5, 2015 1:11 PM

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An AirAsia plane in Surabaya on Jan 3, 2015. Indonesia's transport ministry has ordered airport authorities to take action against staff who allowed Indonesia AirAsia to fly outside its approved schedule. -- PHOTO: SPH

BY WAHYUDI SOERIAATMADJA, INDONESIA CORRESPONDENT

JAKARTA - Indonesia's transport ministry has made it mandatory for all pilots to attend a face-to-face briefing with an airline flight operating officer (FOO) before departure.

The ministry has also asked authorities to take action against all parties that were involved in allowing Indonesia AirAsia to operate flights outside of its approved schedule, said Djoko Murjatmodjo, acting director-general of air transportation in the ministry.

"(The FOO briefing is) not only about weather. The FOO should also detect if a pilot is not in a good health. FOOs will have to be trained on profiling skills," he told reporters on Monday.

Aviation expert Ruth Hanna Simatupang told the Jakarta Post that the procedure of briefing with FOO was not new but it was not complied with in Indonesia.

“Nothing’s new about the policy, it is a standard that has been applied regularly in the world. It is just one of the problems in the jungle of our aviation system. There are a lot of problems that need to be fixed in our aviation system,” the newspaper quoted the former investigator at the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) as saying.

She said during the briefing, which takes no more than 20 minutes, FOOs would also give all necessary documents such as weather reports to the pilots to study.

“After that pilots will make their flight plan then submit it to FOOs for second thoughts or suggestions. Later, the FOOs will submit the discussed flight plan to the appointed air traffic control,” she said.

Monday's developments come after it was revealed that the pilots of flight QZ8501 did not receive the weather report prior to departure and the flight was on an unauthorised schedule. The airline was not permitted to fly the Surabaya-Singapore route on Sundays.

Murjatmodjo said on Monday that the possible parties involved in allowing Indonesia AirAsia to fly outside its approved flight schedule included airport staff and transport ministry officials.

"We issued orders to them to move these staff from a position related to flight operations," he said.

"We are looking into...why this had gone on for months. Regular reporting from airport authorities didn't take place? We hope to finish investigation quickly."

Murjatmodjo said the transport ministry is currently checking the airline's flight schedules to see if they match its permits or agreements.

He said the AirAsia incident was a reminder that all airlines have to follow regulations. The impact of not complying could bring about chaotic aviation operations in Indonesia, he said

Crash Repercussions May Nullify Indonesia AirAsia's Turnaround

Jan 5, 2015Adrian Schofield | Aviation Daily

The threat of regulatory penalties could be a further serious blow to Indonesia AirAsia, in addition to the brand damage that is likely to result from the loss of flight QZ8501.

Revelations that the flight was operating outside the parameters of the carrier’s route authority have prompted an investigation by Indonesian officials. While the immediate focus remains on retrieving bodies and wreckage, eventually the Indonesian low-cost carrier must confront the financial fallout from the crash. This could derail the fragile financial recovery the LCC had achieved.

The Indonesia AirAsia A320 was flying from Surabaya to Singapore on the morning of Dec. 28 when it lost contact with air traffic controllers and crashed. More than 30 bodies have been recovered, and parts of the aircraft fuselage have been identified on the seabed.

While the carrier was allowed to operate the Surabaya-Singapore route four days a week, Sunday was not one of those days, according to Indonesian authorities. The country’s ministry of transport says it will launch an investigation into the LCC’s compliance with route authorizations, and officials have reportedly raised the possibility of route or certification suspensions. The airline has already stopped flying the Surabaya-Singapore route.

Surabaya is one of five aircraft bases for Indonesia AirAsia, which is a joint venture partly owned by Malaysia-based AirAsia. Singapore is an important route from this hub. The carrier also offers four non-stop domestic routes from Surabaya, as well as direct flights to Bangkok and three Malaysian destinations.

Five of Indonesia AirAsia’s 30 A320s were assigned to Surabaya as of Nov. 19, according to AirAsia’s third-quarter reporting. This made Surabaya the affiliate’s third-largest hub behind its main base at Jakarta and Bali’s Denpasar.

Prior to the crash, Indonesia AirAsia was seeing improving financial results and predicting more gains to come. The carrier achieved a slim IDR1.68 billion ($132,706) after-tax profit for the three months ending Sept. 30, a welcome return to the black following three quarters of losses. Another profit was forecast for the fourth quarter.

The carrier has been hurt by the effects of Indonesian rupiah weakness, which has contributed to a spike in costs denominated in overseas currencies. But revenue was up 7% in the third quarter, with unit revenue rising 28% year-on-year and 18% compared to the second quarter.

These gains were helped by higher average fares, and the completion of a network rationalization program that eliminated some loss-making routes. Indonesia AirAsia was achieving more success in brand awareness, according to its parent group.

At the time of the third-quarter report, AirAsia said its Indonesian affiliate’s outlook “remains positive with strong forward booking and [unit revenue] upside.” These assumptions could obviously change dramatically depending on regulatory action and demand shifts stemming from QZ8501.