Due to breaching maximum capacity limitation, 3 airlines will be fined. (Image via Science Focus)

Transportation Ministry fines 3 airlines due to COVID-19

The Directorate General of Air Transportation confirmed that it will penalize three airlines reportedly having violated the health and safety protocols to prevent the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The director-general, Novie Riyanto, mentioned that he had received reports from the airport authority of Kualanamu, Medan, that three airlines failed to maintain social distancing in the cabin. It is written that the narrow-body and wide-body jet transport plane for domestic flights can only store 70% of its maximum capacity.

"As the Transportation Ministry is struggling to flatten the curve by the Ministerial Regulation, we make sure that the penalty is in accordance with the law. To ensure the security and healthiness of the flights, we implore all airlines to obey the regulation by maintaining proper COVID-19 safety protocols," asserted Novie on Friday.

For the airlines breaching the maximum capacity limitation, reprimand letters & revocation of route permission are given. The penalty will also be given based on Ministerial Regulation no. 56 of 2020 which 250 - 3.000 administrative fine units, with each unit amounts to Rp100 thousand. In the middle of the battle against COVID-19, Novie added that the penalty was one of the concrete efforts by the Transportation Ministry to tighten the COVID-19 protocols for all parties.

Source: https://bit.ly/3kNsURS