Indonesia Tightens Pre-flight Security Checks for Electronic Devices

An Indonesian police officer and airport security personnel check passengers at Jakarta’s International Airport.

Jakarta, 06 Rajab 1438/03 March 2017 (MINA) – The Indonesian airport authority has tightened security checks for electronic gadgets, including laptops, brought by passengers to step up safety during flights.

“The security check is carried out before the passenger boards the aircraft,” Antara News quoted Corporate Secretary for PT Angkasa Pura I Israwadi as saying here on Monday.

Angkasa Pura I manages 13 airports, including I Gusti Ngurah Rai in Bali, Juanda in Surabaya, Sultan Hasanuddin in Makassar, Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport in Sepinggan of Balikpapan, Frans Kaisiepo in Biak, Sam Ratulangi in Manado, Syamsudin Noor in Banjarmasin, and Ahmad Yani in Semarang.

Besides this, the state-owned company also manages the Adisutjipto Airport of Yogyakarta, Adi Soemarmo Airport in Surakarta, Lombok Praya International Airport, Pattimura Airport in Ambon, and El Tari Airport of Kupang.

Earlier, the Air Transportation Director General of the Ministry of Transportation had announced a regulation on conducting security checks on luggage and personal devices, particularly for laptop and electronic devices.

The passengers must disclose their electronic devices, including laptops, and get them scanned through the X-Ray detector machine.

In case a passenger appears suspicious, the Avsec security officer will ask him/her to operate the electronic device.

“The procedure is conducted to increase flight safety. We request the passengers to cooperate during the procedure,” Israwadi noted in a press release received here.

The security checks are conducted to avoid bomb threats. Angkasa Pura I is committed to maintaining passenger safety at all airports, Israwadi added. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)