Gunung Kelud Erupsi, Dinyatakan Kemenhub sebagai `Force Majeure`
Indonesian Transportation Ministry Declare Mount Kelud`s Eruption is Force Majeure
Reporter : Roni Said
Editor : Cahyani Harzi
Translator : Dhelia Gani
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Jakarta (B2B) - Kementerian Perhubungan (Kemenhub) menyatakan erupsi Gunung Kelud merupakan "force majeure" (keadaan kahar) sehingga mengakibatkan maskapai dibebaskan dari kewajiban memberikan ganti rugi karena pembatalan jadwal penerbangan.
"Mengingat aktivitas vulkanik gunung Kelud termasuk faktor force majeure, maka maskapai yang melakukan pembatalan penerbangan karena rute yang dilalui terkena dampak abu vulkanik dibebaskan dari kewajibannya memberikan ganti rugi," kata Direktur Jenderal Perhubungan Udara Kemenhub, Herry Bakti, dalam keterangan tertulis yang diterima di Jakarta, Sabtu.
Menurut ensiklopedia dunia maya Wikipedia, "force majeure atau keadaan kahar adalah suatu kejadian yang terjadi di luar kemampuan manusia dan tidak dapat dihindarkan sehingga suatu kegiatan tidak dapat dilaksanakan atau tidak dapat dilaksanakan sebagaimana mestinya.
Sejumlah hal yang termasuk kategori keadaan kahar adalah peperangan, kerusuhan, revolusi, bencana alam, pemogokan, kebakaran, dan bencana lainnya yang harus dinyatakan oleh pejabat/instansi yang berwenang.
Dirjen Udara Kemenhub menyatakan, penetapan "force majeure" akibat aktivitas abu vulkanik tersebut dinilai telah sesuai Peraturan Menteri Perhubungan No PM 77 Tahun 2011 tentang Tanggung Jawab Pengangkut Udara.
Untuk itu, ujar dia, maskapai yang melakukan pembatalan penerbangan diimbau agar dapat memberi informasi yang jelas kepada penumpang. Selain itu, harus ada pula informasi mekanisme yang harus dilakukan oleh penumpang untuk proses pengembalian uang serta memberikan kemudahan terkait dengan proses mekanisme yang dimaksud tersebut.
"Kami minta tiket penumpang yang tidak melakukan penerbangan pada hari itu tidak dianggap hangus dan jika di-refund" (pengembalian uang) harus dikembalikan secara utuh tanpa potongan biaya administrasi," kata Herry.
Sebelumnya, Kementerian Perhubungan menyatakan tujuh bandara di Pulau Jawa ditutup sementara hingga jangka waktu yang telah ditentukan serta terdapat sebanyak ratusan penerbangan yang dibatalkan akibat erupsi Gunung Kelud, Jawa Timur.
"Ada sebanyak tujuh bandara yang ditutup sementara akibat letusan Gunung Kelud," kata Dirjen Perhubungan Udara Kemenhub.
Herry menyebutkan, ketujuh bandara tersebut ditutup karena erupsi mengakibatkan tersebarnya debu vulkanik yang menghalangi jarak pandang ideal untuk penerbangan dan debu vulkanik dinilai dapat membahayakan bagi kinerja mesin pesawat yang sedang melakukan penerbangan.
Ia mengemukakan, pihaknya telah mengeluarkan Notice To Airmen yang juga mengakibatkan ditutup sementaranya tujuh bandara, yaitu Bandara Juanda (Surabaya), Adisumarmo (Solo), Adisucipto (Yogyakarta), Ahmad Yani (Semarang), Tunggul Wulung (Cilacap), Abdurrahman Saleh (Malang), dan Husein Sastranegara (Bandung).
Jakarta (B2B) - Indonesian Transportation Ministry has declared the eruption of Mount Kelud in Kediri, East Java, to be a force majeure, which exempts airlines from compensating passengers due to cancelled flights.
"Considering that the volcanic activity of Mount Kelud is a force majeure, the airline companies, which cancelled flights in the volcanic ash-affected routes, are exempt from the obligation to compensate their passengers," the ministry´s director general of air transportation, Herry Bakti, said in a written statement released on Saturday.
The decision to declare the eruption as a force majeure complied with the transportation minister´s regulation number PM 77/2011 on the responsibility of airline companies, he said.
Therefore, he added, the airlines which cancelled flights in the affected routes should inform their passengers of the cancellation.
"We ask the airline companies to make full refunds without administrative fees on air tickets of passengers who cancelled their trips on that day," he said.
On Friday, the ministry said seven airports on the island of Java had been closed until a specified time due to the eruption of Mount Kelud on Thursday night.
"Seven airports have been temporarily closed due to Mount Kelud´s eruption," Herry Bakti stated here on Friday.
He noted that the airports were closed, as the eruption had scattered volcanic ash in the area, which drastically reduced visibility.
The volcanic ash also endangered flights, as it could cause jet engines to cease operating while in flight, he noted.
Herry had earlier issued a notice to airmen," which resulted in the temporary closure of the airports.
The seven airports are Juanda airport in Surabaya, East Java, until 6 am on February 15, Adisumarmo (Solo, Central Java) until 7.30 am, February 15, and Adisucipto (Yogyakarta) until 7.30 am, February 15.
The other closed airport are Ahmad Yani airport (Semarang, the capital of Central Java), which was closed until 6 am, February 15, Tunggul Wulung (Cilacap, Central Java) until 5 pm, February 14, Abdurrahman Saleh (Malang, East Java) until 7 am, February 15, and Husein Sastranegara (Bandung, West Java) until 8 pm, February 14.
Meanwhile, on Friday the total flights cancelled included 332 from Juanda, 28 from Adisumarmo, 110 from Adisucipto, 76 from Ahmad Yani, 16 from Abdurrahman Saleh, and 24 from Husein Sastranegara.
He also reported that the Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta and Ngurah Rai airport in Bali remain safe and continue operating, as they have not been effected by volcanic ash.
