Five domestic airlines grounded

The Indonesian Transport Ministry grounded five domestic airlines on 1 July 2008, stating that they had a three-month deadline to improve their safety standards or else they would receive a full operational ban. The grounded airlines are Helizona, SMAC, Asco Nusa Air, Tri-MG Intra Asia Airlines and Dirgantara Air Service. According to officials, the airlines, which have had their Air Operator's Certificates (AOC) suspended, failed to meet minimum safety requirements in every safety category. In June 2008, Adam Air, another Indonesian air carrier, was shut down after it failed to meet its three-month deadline for improvements.