Halim Airbase does not have a taxiway, meaning commercial flights at Halim are forced to use the runway as a taxiway. Damage to the overworked runway was just a matter of time, as a consequence of using Halim Air Base for commercial civil aviation – another example of immature planning, preparation and coordination.
National aviation management
Another inevitable issue in aviation management is the frequent conflict of interest between civil commercial fights and military aviation operations.
National aviation represents the interests of the state, people’s welfare, as well as national security and defense. The 2001 9/11 tragedy in the United States is a vivid example of how the interests of Aviation National Security came second after Aviation Safety, which resulted in a tragedy taking thousands of innocent lives and losses of billions of dollars.
The Twin Towers in New York were devastated by terrorists who took control of commercial fights on domestic routes.
In the 1950s, Indonesia once issued Government Regulation (PP) number 5 of 1955, concerning the Aviation Council, aiming to regulate civil and military aviation management at a strategic level.
This council was chaired alternately by the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Transportation. In the first paragraph of the Explanation of PP No. 5 of 1955 concerning the Aviation Council, it is stated:
In the current situation, it is deemed necessary to coordinate the politics of civil aviation and the politics of military aviation, both of which are inseparable from the politics and economy of the state.
Paragraph 6 clearly stated: It is firmly stated that only closely related matters of civil and military aviation deserve coordination. The intention is to avoid the notion one aviation agency can intervene in aviation matters of others that are specifically included in the competence of other aviation agencies or vice versa.
This means that since 1955 Indonesia has tried to anticipate complex matters in national airspace management, particularly related to airport use for civil aviation purposes and military aviation interests.
This also means in 1955 a similar incident related to the Halim Airbase Dispute took place or was predicted to occur.
