Australians in Indonesia Advised Not to Fly with Lion Air Following Crash

Petaling Jaya, MINA — Australian government officials and contractors in Indonesia have been advised to avoid travelling on Lion Air following a fatal crash on Monday (Oct 29), Star Online reported.

A notice was posted Tuesday (Oct 30) on smarttraveller, a website under the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, advising individuals not to fly on “Lion Air or their subsidiary airlines that operate outside of Australia”.

It added that this decision would be reviewed when the findings of the crash investigation are clear.

“Australian travellers should make their own decisions on which airlines to travel with,” the advisory noted.

It also advised the Australian public to “exercise a high degree of caution” in Indonesia overall, including Bali.

“Higher levels apply in Central Sulawesi and Papua provinces,” it said.

It placed Indonesia on Level 2 of its four-level of travel advice scale, with Level 1 being “practice normal safety precautions”, Level 3 as “reconsider your need to travel” and Level 4 as “do not travel”.

Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia and Singapore are among the South-East Asian countries listed as Level 1 for Australian travellers.

The website also advised Australian travellers to “exercise a high degree of caution in Bali, Surabaya, and Jakarta because of the high threat of terrorist attack”.

“Pay close attention to your security at all times. Monitor media for the latest information about safety or security risk,” it added.

Monday’s crash saw Lion Air Flight JT610 carrying 189 people, crashing into the sea, 13 minutes after taking off. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)