Indonesia will establish cooperation with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to improve the aviation safety standards and regain international confidence in the country's air transport recently marred by major disasters, an official aid Thursday.
If approved by both countries, the cooperation will include the sending of U.S. experts on the main factors of aviation safety including regulations, infrastructure, safety equipment and airworthiness, said director general of civil aviation Budhi Suyitno.
"They (the U.S. experts) will evaluate, audit and make assessment for our improvement," he told reporters here.
The move came after the FAA on Monday revised Indonesia's safety oversight category from Category 1 to Category 2, which indicates that the FAA has assessed the Indonesia's civil aviation authority as not being in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards.
"Indonesia has suffered a series of serious aviation incidents and accidents in recent months that raise questions about the safety practices of Indonesian air carriers and their oversight by the Indonesian Directorate General of Civil Aviation," the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta said in a statement when announcing the FAA decision Wednesday.
Three U.S. citizens were among the 102 passengers aboard the Jakarta-based Adam Air's plane that crashed into the Sulawesi waters on New Year's Day, believed to have killed all people onboard.
Last month, 21 passengers including five Australians were killed after a jet owned by flag carrier Garuda Indonesia made a hard landing and burst into flames in Yogyakarta province.