Dodgy Adam... air, grounded

[Luke Chittock]

Troubled Adam Air grounded by Indonesian authorities

Thursday March 20, 2008
Indonesia's transport ministry, as expected, grounded low-fare carrier Adam Air over safety issues following an incident last week when a 737-400 skidded off the runway at Batam Island's Hang Nadim Airport, injuring five of the 176 passengers and crew onboard.

The right wing, hydraulic system and main landing gear were damaged. The incident was Adam's third in 18 months (ATWOnline, March 12).

Budhi Mulyawan Suyitno, Indonesia DG for air transportation, said the airline would cease flying yesterday, according to Agence France Presse. The transport ministry found the carrier's operating and maintenance standards to be inadequate and the training of personnel substandard. It has three months to rectify the problems.

Adam Air President Adam Aditya told AFC he was "not surprised" by the ministry's decision, adding, "We are having an internal problem that could affect our employees' morale and performance and would have a bad impact on our safety efforts."

XFN Asia reported that a consortium led by PT Bhakti Investama, whose subsidiary PT Global Transport Service joined with Bright Star Perkasa to acquire a 50% stake in Adam last year, announced plans to divest. Bhakti reportedly cited the safety issue as its reason for pulling out of the carrier.

by Geoffrey Thomas
Source: ATW Oline