JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Indonesia’s state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II has formed a task force to prevent people from flying kites around the flight zone of the country’s main airport at the edge of the capital city Jakarta.

Airport spokesman Febri Toga Simatupang said the task force would educate local residents about the potential dangers of flying kites around the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten province.

“We have created a team of local officials and figures to educate the residents,” Mr Febri was quoted as saying on Friday (Aug 20) by kompas.com online news.

He added the task force has been holding webinars and visiting several sub-districts located around the airport to disseminate the information.

It had also put up banners warning people about the penalty for flying kites in the flight operation safety area.

Mr Febri said the number of kite-related complaints and disturbances had started to decline after the task force began educating local residents about the potential hazard caused by kites.

Flying a kite around an airport is considered dangerous because it can tangle up inside an airplane’s engine.

The 2009 Aviation Law restricts flying kites around flight operation areas, with Article 421 of the law carrying a punishment of up to three years in jail and a one billion rupiah (S$93,000) fine for violations.

National airline Garuda Indonesia reported seven kite-related incidents out of 59 reports on flight disruptions recorded by Angkasa Pura II between May and July at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

The number of kite-related disruptions was relatively high, said Mr Bernard Partogi Sitorus, the airline’s senior manager for incident management, considering that there were fewer flights due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The seven incidents included one when parts of a kite entered an airplane’s engine.

Authorities found strings and bamboo sticks tangled up inside the plane’s propeller, according to kompas.com.

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