PT Angkasa Pura II, operator of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, on Thursday urged the government to help enforce a kite-flying ban, following complaints by a foreign airline of kites being flown near the runways.
"We received complaints from Japan Airlines because one of the airline's pilots was distracted by a kite when the plane was landing," Angkasa Pura spokesman Trisno Heryadi told The Jakarta Post.
He said local residents continued to flout the ban, despite measures by airport security officers to confiscate kites.
Trisno said Angkasa Pura had asked for police assistance to enforce the ban, but police officers said there was no legal basis to act on because the kite flyers "are not criminals" despite their obvious transgressions.
"We have also asked for assistance from the Tangerang Public Order Agency to help keep local residents in check, but they are running scared because residents threatened them with machetes," he said.
The airport operator has been forced to switch the usage of its runways every afternoon since June 30 because of this problem.
Every day after 3:30 p.m., the airport's left runway is used for taking off and the right runway for landing, to ensure airline safety, an official said Wednesday.
The left runway is normally used for landing and the right runway for taking off.
The Tangerang municipal administration passed the 2004 bylaw prohibiting residents from flying kites within 18 kilometers of the airport, following complaints by pilots about the safety risks posed by the kites.
Theoretically, violators face three months in jail or a fine of up to Rp 3 million.
A 1992 aviation safety law also stipulates those who endanger the safety of flights face up to 6 months in jail term or a fine amounting to Rp 16 million.
However, both regulations have proved toothless without support from law enforcement agencies.
M. Farriedh, head of Angkasa Pura's security division, said airport security had confiscated as many as 483 kites between May 5 and June 30, with residents undeterred in their quest to break the law.
"Today we seized only three kites, yesterday it was 13. Most kite flyers tie the kites to trees and watch them from a distance," he said.
"However, we will continue operations to monitor the problem around the runways until we can get to the root of the problem and create a system to curb the activity."
He said airport security had met with airport police, airport administration and the Tangerang Public Order Agency to discuss the problem on Thursday, but the meeting ended without any concrete decisions.
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