The man joked about the presence of a bomb onboard but posed a threat to security and safety, he noted in a written statement released on Tuesday.
"The Transportation Ministry will take action against the perpetrator spreading the bomb hoax. It is a threat to security and safety of us all. We will file a lawsuit against the perpetrator," he remarked.
Under Aviation Law No. 1 of 2009, anybody spreading hoax that endangers flight safety and causes an accident or material loss can be sentenced to up to eight years in jail.
The minister urged civil servant investigators to cooperate with the police to investigate the motive behind the bomb hoax.
"I call on civil servant investigators to team up with the police to follow up on several incidents related to bomb hoax at airports and process them legally. The incidents certainly inflicted losses, particularly due to delayed flights," he emphasized.
He expressed hope that legal action would offer a deterrent effect on the perpetrator spreading the bomb hoax and serve as a lesson to all to not do the same.
The man yelled out at Supadio Airport on Monday that there was a bomb aboard a Jakarta-bound Lion Air flight. He was later arrested by the airport`s aviation security officers.
(S012/INE/B003)
Reporter: Juwita Trisna Rahayu
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
