Indonesia expects EU to revoke travel ban on rest of 37 airlines in 2010

The Indonesian Transport Ministry expected the European Union (EU) to lift its travel ban on 37 Indonesia's airliners next year, as the country has improved its air safety standard, a senior official at the ministry said Friday.

The hope came following the lifting of the restriction on four Indonesian leading carriers in July this year. The EU banned 51 Indonesia's airliners from entering its territory by the reason of lack of safety standard since July 2007 following a rampant air accident that killed more than 250 people.

Director for Air Transport of the ministry Herry Bhakti said that his ministry would demand the EU to end its restriction during the meeting of the aviation Security Committee (ASC) of the European Union in February and in July 2010.

"We target that all the 37 airliners would be free from the EU travel ban next year," he told Xinhua over phone.

Despite the airliners still have a less possibility to fly to Europe, the director said that the lifting aimed at creating a good image and tapping on European visitors.

"So that when the European visitors coming into Indonesia want to travel in our country, they are not reluctant to fly with our planes," he said.

Indonesia had conducted a cooperation with the EU in improving the safety standard after the group imposed the ban.

Taking plane is a favorite transport means in the sprawling archipelago country with over 230 million people, but lack of safety standard had triggered many accidents years ago.