Australian government bans staff from flying Lion Air
The Australian government has instructed all of its employees and sub-contractors not to fly with Lion Air until further notice.
The ban takes effect immediately following Monday’s fatal crash in the Java Sea which claimed 189 lives.
"Following the fatal crash of a Lion Air plane on 29 October 2018, Australian government officials and contractors have been instructed not to fly on Lion Air or their subsidiary airlines. This decision will be reviewed when the findings of the crash investigation are clear," the Department Of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a message posted to its website.
Lion Air Group also operates regional airline Wings Air and full-service Batik Air which flies to Perth from Bali.
It is the first time the Australian Government has issued such a ban on an airline.
Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority said it was not consulted before the ban was announced.
Lion Air’s last fatal accident was 14 years ago although it has been involved in a number of accidents since.
The airline only recently passed IATA’s operational safety audit and was cleared to fly to Europe in 2016 after a years-long ban.
Indonesia transport minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the government has ordered checks to be carried out on all Boeing MAX 8 jets.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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