INDOWORK.ID, JAKARTA: UU 1 Thn 2009 belum mengatur tanggung jawab produsen pesawat udara (product liability) dalam rangka perlindungan konsumen (Kantaatmadja, 1994). Bahkan, hukum di Indonesia tidak mengatur khusus tentang tanggung jawab produsen pesawat terbang atas cedera atau kematian penumpang.
Tindakan hukum atas tanggung jawab produsen pesawat terbang, perusahaan angkutan udara niaga, atau pihak lain yang dianggap menyebabkan kematian dapat dilakukan di pengadilan sipil berdasarkan ketentuan umum “tindakan melawan hukum” dari KUHP, yang menyediakan dasar yang serupa untuk tindak pidana umum lainnya (Butt and Lindsay, 2020).
Dalam kasus kecelakaan pesawat udara milik PT Lion Air dan PT Sriwijaya, penuntutan tambahan kompensasi oleh ahli waris tidak ditujukan kepada perusahaan angkutan udara niaga. Nemun kepada pihak pabrik pembuat pesawat udara yang dasar hukum awal penuntutan berdasarkan pada hasil-hasil investigasi yang disampaikan oleh Komite Nasional Kecelakaan Transportasi (KNKT).
KOMPENSASI DARI BEOING
Pada kasus kecelakaan PT Lion Air dengan nomor penerbangan JT-610 dengan rute penerbangan Jakarta menuju Pangkal Pinang pada tahun 2018 (Sazpah et.all, 2020), gugatan kepada Boeing tidak dilanjutkan oleh ahli waris setelah mendapat kompensasi dari Boeing sebesar US$145 ribu atau setara Rp2,1 miliar (Prasongko, 2019).
Di lain kasus, beberapa ahli waris yang mengajukan gugatan kepada Boeing terkait penerbangan SJ-182 Sriwijaya Air dalam penerbangan dari Jakarta menuju Pontianak Tahun 2021 belum menghasilkan kompensasi tambahan apapun.(Kiwi, 2022)
*) Ditulis oleh Hemi Pramuraharjo, penulis buku Hukum Penerbangan Indonesia.
The media recently reported that Indonesian lawmakers are still struggling to ensure the enforcement of the pilot project that regulates the responsibility of aircraft manufacturers in case of accidents. This casts doubts on whether the country’s aviation sector will meet the ever-increasing demand in the future.
The bill on civil aviation, currently in its fourth revision, is still undergoing deliberations in the House of Representatives due to a lack of strong legal basis. It has yet to incorporate clear rules on liability when it comes to operating an aircraft. The general rule in the current version of the bill prohibits aircraft manufacturers from being held responsible for aviation accidents in Indonesia. This shows that any parties involved in cases of aircraft accidents in Indonesia are not held liable for loss or damages caused.
The lack of liable aircraft manufacturers has drawn criticism from air transport professionals and the general public. They argue that this gap in legal protection could lead to a situation in which companies are almost never held accountable if their product is faulty or causes an aviation accident.
This lack of legal liability not only affects airlines, but also the public. If aircraft manufacturers are not held responsible for faulty products, safety in the aviation industry could take a backseat and put passengers at greater risk.
Given the above, it is important that Indonesian lawmakers take the necessary steps to ensure aircraft manufacturers are held liable in cases of aviation accidents. Doing so could help the aviation industry regain its reputation and contribute to the nation’s economic growth by encouraging the future development of the sector.
In conclusion, legislation that regulates the responsibility of aircraft manufacturers in Indonesia is necessary to ensure quality and safety in the aviation industry and protect both citizens and companies. Indonesian lawmakers must act quickly on this issue in order to ensure the aviation sector continues to meet the ever-increasing demands of the nation.
