THE European Commission has lifted three Indonesian carriers – Lion Air, Batik Air and Citilink – from its safety blacklist.
This means the airlines are now allowed to fly to European Union (EU) destinations. The lift was announced by the EU’s transportation commissioner Violeta Bulc yesterday.
Albert Burhan, president director of Citilink, told Indonesian media that the airline managed to be on the whitelist after two assessments by the EU.
He said: “We (have shown that we) can follow the steps of (sister airline) Garuda Indonesia and present Citilink as an international class airline.”
Meanwhile, Edward Sirait, general affairs director of Lion Group said the EU decision has proven that Lion Air and Batik Air, both part of the Lion Group, is in line with international standards and procedures.
Out of 65 airline companies in Indonesia today, only seven airlines are allowed entry to EU countries. They are Garuda Indonesia, Airfast Indonesia, Premiair, Indonesia AirAsia, and now Lion Air, Batik Air and Citilink.
