Sriwijaya Air crash places Indonesia's aviation safety under fresh spotlight

A police officer walks past a monitor at a temporary crisis centre, as the Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 lost contact after taking off, in Tangerang, near Jakarta, Indonesia (PHOTO: Reuters)

Indonesia’s chequered air safety record is again in the spotlight after a Sriwijaya Air jet carrying 62 people crashed into the Java Sea minutes after takeoff on Saturday, marking the country’s third major airline crash in just over six years.

Before the crash there had been 697 fatalities in Indonesia over the last decade including military and private planes, making it the deadliest aviation market in the world - ahead of Russia, Iran and Pakistan - according to Aviation Safety Network’s database.