Arbitrase / Alternatif Penyelesaian Sengketa / Ketidaksefahaman di Bidang Angkutan Udara Komersial

Oleh H. Priyatna Abdurrasyid


Berbicara tentang Angkutan Udara Komersial menghendaki suatu bentuk pengetahuan khusus, karena kegiatan tersebut merupakan bagian dari suatu bentuk angkutan komersial (nasional). Di Indonesia terdiri dari angkutan udara, laut, darat, kereta api dan pipa minyak (kadangkala telekomunikasi, termasuk jalur “frequences” untuk siaran-siaran melalui radio, tv, dan lain-lainnya). Risalah ini hanya membahas angkutan udara komersial yang sarat dan sangat dipengaruhi oleh perkembangan kemajuan ilmu, teknologi dan hukum.  Apalagi bagi Indonesia yang memiliki luas wilayah terdiri dari 2/3 perairan, 1/3 daratan, dan 1/1 ruang udara meliput wilayah seluas Eropah, terletak di antara 2 Samudera dan 2 Benua. Angkutan udara komersial (selanjutnya disebut “Aviasi”) merupakan suatu kegiatan yang dikuasai dan diatur oleh Hukum Udara (“Air Law”) yang dapat dipecah dalam bidang-bidang hukum khusus keruangudaraan sebagai berikut: 

1.      Hukum Penerbangan (Aviation Law);

2.      Hukum Transportasi Udara (Air Transportation Law);

3.      Hukum Udara Militer (Military Air Law);

4.      Hukum Perang di Udara (Aerial Warfare Law);

5.      Hukum Lingkungan Ruang Udara (Air Environmental Law);

6.      Hukum Penerbangan Komersial (Aviation Commercial Law);

7.      Hukum Pertanggung Jawaban Penerbangan (Aviation Legal Liability Law);

8.      Hukum Jual Beli Pesawat Udara (Aircraft Purchase Law);

9.      Hukum Asuransi Penerbangan (Aviation Insurance Law);

10.    Hukum Pidana Penerbangan (Aviation Criminal Law);

11.    Hukum Cyber Penerbangan (Aviation Cyber Law); 

            Hukum Udara (Air Law) sendiri merupakan bagian besar dari Hukum Angkasa yang terdiri dari Hukum Udara dan Hukum Ruang Angkasa (Air and Space Law/Aerospace Law; Lucht en Ruimte Recht – Belanda; Luft und Welträum  Recht – Jerman; droit aerien et spatial – Perancis; Derecho Aeronautico y del Espacio – Spanyol). Hukum Udara mengatur kegiatan manusia diruang-lapis Bumi yang berisikan gas-gas udara; sedang Hukum Ruang Angkasa mengatur segala sesuatu di ruang yang hampa / kosong udara di luar wilayah Bumi. Tampak disini bahwa “aviasi” dikuasai dan diatur oleh Hukum Penerbangan, yakni sebagai suatu “seperangkat ketentuan hukum dan kebiasaan yang mengatur kegiatan serta hak dan kewajiban manusia di bidang angkutan udara dengan segala akibatnya yang dapat menimbulkan tanggung jawab hukum (“legal liabilities”). Bilamana timbul sengketa terutama di bidang tanggung jawab hukumnya, maka mengingat bahwa “aviasi” itu merupakan suatu kegiatan manusia yang dipengaruhi oleh kegiatan-kegiatan garis lurus fisik penerbangan, kecepatan/singkat waktu/kenyamanan, maka akibatnya bilamana timbul sengketa apakah antara pengguna jasa dengan operator, regulator, usaha travel, dan lain-lain menghendaki penyelesaian sengketa/selisih pendapat secara cepat – terarah – hemat waktu – biaya terukur tanpa mengabaikan rasa keadilan dan kepatutan pihak-pihak yang bersengketa. Bentuk penyelesaiannya lebih efektif andaikata dilakukan melalui jalur “peaceful settlement of dispute” dengan memanfaatkan ketentuan-ketentuan hukum khusus (lex specialis) atau melalui landasan ex aequo et bono, yakni dengan kewajaran – kepatutan yang dirasakan adil oleh semua pihak. Hampir keseluruhan penyelesaian sengketa/selisih pendapat di bidang aviasi ini diselesaikan melalui arbitrase / alternatif penyelesaian sengketa (Arbitration and Alternative Disputes Resolution – ADR), yakni dengan memanfaatkan salah satu mekanisme yang disepakati bersama oleh para pihak, apakah mediasi, konsiliasi, negosiasi dan lain-lainnya, sebelum kemudian masuk ke proses arbitrase bilamana tata cara pemanfaatan mekanisme aps sebelumnya tidak membuahkan hasil. Ada baiknya diketengahkan apa yang dimaksud dengan arbitrase dan hukum mana yang menguasainya; bagaimana prosesnya. Arbitrase dapat diartikan sebagai berikut:

• Terjadi sengketa/ketidak sefahaman.
• Antara dua orang/kelompok atau lebih.
• Sengketa/ketidak sefahaman diserahkan kepada pihak ketiga yang profesional yang disepakati bersama (terdiri dari seorang atau beberapa orang), melalui penyederhanaan hukum dan prosedur (Law of the Parties/Law of Procedure).
• Dilakukan dengar pendapat melalui hukum yang disepakati dan disederhanakan.
• Putusan sebelumnya disepakati final dan mengikat.

Pelayanan – proses arbitrase di Indonesia telah dilakukan sejak lama oleh Badan Arbitrase Nasional Indonesia yang dibentuk pada tanggal 2 Desember 1977 atas prakarsa Ketua Mahkamah Agung R.I. Prof. R. Soebekti, SH dan didukung oleh Ketua KADIN Marsekal (Purn.) Suwoto Suhendar dan Wakil Ketuanya Julius Tahya, Ketua IKADIN HarjonoTjitrosubono dan penulis. Sejak pendiriannya telah menjalin kerjasama Internasional dengan lembaga-lembaga arbitrase dari Belanda, Jepang, Pilipina, Korea, Hongkong, Singapura, Australia, ICC-Paris, Perancis, ICSID/World Bank-Washington D.C.-USA, APRAG-Sidney-Australia, CEDR-Geneva-Swiss. Masih dalam Perundingan kerjasama dengan beberapa negara lainnya, seperti Jerman, Canada, Venezuela, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Vietnam dan lain-lainnya. BANI mempunyai perwakilan di London – UK. Selanjutnya Arbiter-arbiter Indonesia terdaftar pada sentra-sentra arbitrase negara-negara kerjasama tadi. Juga terdaftar di ICC-Paris, ICSID/World Bank-Washington D.C, ICAO-Montreal, Intelsat-Washington D.C, APRAG-Asia, CEDR-Geneva. Di BANI terdaftar lebih dari 30 arbiter asing terkemuka yakni dari Jepang, Korea, Hongkong, Pilipina, Singapura, Australia, Belanda, Inggris, Perancis, USA, dan lain-lain. BANI didampingi oleh Dewan Penasehat yang terdiri dari:

·   Prof. DR. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja SH, LL.M., Mantan Menteri Luar Negeri / ahli Hukum Laut terkemuka.

·     Prof. DR. M. Sadli, Mantan Menteri Perdagangan dan Industri / ahli Ekonomi.

·     Prof. DR. I.H.PH., Diederiks-Verschoor, Anggota, International Court of Justice, The Hague-Belanda / ahli Hukum Udara terkemuka.

·     Prof. DR. Karl Heinz Bockstiegel, Mantan, Anggota International Arbitration Court, Koln-Jerman / ahli Hukum Arbitrase dan Hukum Ruang Angkasa.

Dalam kegiatan “aviasi”, peranan doktrin-doktrin dan prinsip-prinsip arbitrase / aps sangat utama. Dari 4 doktrin arbitrase (yakni Doktrin Internasionalitas – Internationality Doctrine; Doktrin Universalitas – Universality Doctrine; Doktrin Globalitas – Globality Doctrine; Doktrin Trans-nasionalitas – Trans-Nationality Doctrine), pengaruh doktrin Internasionalitas dalam kegiatan “aviasi” sangat kuat. Doktrin ini berkata, bahwa dimana pun kita berada, kesamaan Hukum Udara/Arbitrase, kebiasaan, prinsip-prinsip arbitrase / aps akan selalu tampak. Bidang “aviasi” berpegang dan diatur (secara internasional) oleh Konvensi Chicago 1944 dengan “Annexes”nya. Dari Konvensi dan “Annexes” itu terbentuk berbagai mekanisme Alternatif Penyelesaian Sengketa – APS (Alternative Dispute Resolution – ADR) yang sangat bermanfaat dalam setiap penyelesaian sengketa / ketidaksefahaman di bidang “aviasi”. Tentunya para pihak yang bersengketa harus mampu memilih, sebelum masuk ke proses arbitrase, mekanisme mana yang paling tepat untuk disepakati yakni apakah sebagai berikut: Dialogue, Negotiation, Mediation, Conciliation, Dispute Prevention, Binding Opinion, Valuation, Expert Appraisal, Expert Determination, Special Masters, Ombudsmen, Mini-trial, Private Judges, Summary Trial, Musyawarah untuk mufakat, Runggun Adat, Begundem, Rembug Desa, Hakim Perdamaian, Kerapatan Ninik Mamak, Barangay/Barrio, Discussion, Facilitation, Compromise, Adjudication dan lain-lainnya. 

Dengan mendasarkan kepada prinsip-prinsip: Good Faith, Non-Confrontation, Cooperation, Law of the Parties, Law of the Procedure, Non-Disclosure, Non-Publication, Time Limitation, Confidentiality, Equality, Unanimity, Contradiction, Non-Interference, Non-Intervention, Impartiality. 

Sifat-sifat internasional dari aviasi, dan untuk itu perlu diteliti dan diperhitungkan berbagai sistem hukum dunia, yakni Common Law, Continental Law, Germanic Law, Socialist Law, Romanic Law, Greece Law, Law of Canada, Law of the USA, Laws of Central America, Laws of South America, Laws of Africa & Madagascar, Muslim Law, Law of India, Chinese Law, Japanese Law, Law of the Philippines, Laws of the Pacific Region, Law of Australia, Laws of Indonesia, The National Laws of the World, International Treaties, Customary Laws.

BANI selama ini telah melayani dan memperhatikan berbagai bentuk sengketa, seperti:

Patent, Trademark, Design, Intellectual Property Right, Consultation, Copy Right, Agency, Licensing, Franchise, Insurance, Construction, Trade, Labor, Industry, Environment, Fabrication, Distribution, Maritime/Shipping, Land/Sea/Air Transportation, Mining, Joint Venture, Banking, Finance, Sport, Air and Space Commercialization: Aviation, Direct Broadcasting, Telecommunication, Remote Sensing, Space Commercial Utilization, Internet, E-Commerce.

Penyelesaian sengketa/ketidak sefahaman di bidang aviasi dan dikehendaki diselesaikan melalui arbitrase / aps diatur oleh ketentuan yang berlaku yang bersumberkan kepada Konvensi Chicago 1944, terutama pasal 1 tentang Kedaulatan, selanjutnya Pasal 12 yang berkata:

            “Rules of the air

Each contracting State undertakes to adopt measures to insure that every aircraft flying over or maneuvering within its territory and that every aircraft carrying its nationality mark, wherever such aircraft may be, shall comply with the rules and regulations relating to the flight and maneuver of aircraft there in force. Each contracting State undertakes to keep its own regulations in these respects uniform, to the greatest possible extent, with those established from time to time under this Convention. Over the high seas, the rules in force shall be those established under this Convention. Each contracting State undertakes to insure the prosecution of all persons violating the regulations applicable”.

Dan Pasal 84 berjudul Dispute and Default.

            “Settlement of disputes.

If any disagreement between two or more contracting State relating to the interpretation or application of this Convention and its Annexes cannot be settled by negotiation, it shall, on the application of any State concerned in the disagreement, be decided by the Council. No member of the Council shall vote in the consideration by the Council of any dispute to which it is a party. Any contracting State may, subject to Article 85, appeal from the decision of the Council to an ad hoc arbitral tribunal agreed upon with the other parties to the dispute or to the Permanent Court of International Justice. Any such appeal shall be notified to the Council within sixty days of receipt of notification of the decision of the Council”.

Pasal 85.

            “Arbitration procedure.

If any contracting State party to a dispute in which the decision of the Council is under appeal has not accepted the Statute of the Permanent Court of International Justice and the contracting State parties to the dispute cannot agree on the choice of the arbitral tribunal, each of the contracting State parties to the dispute shall name a single arbitrator who shall name an umpire. If either contracting State party to the dispute fails to name an arbitrator within a period of three months from the date of the appeal, an arbitrator shall be named on behalf of that State by the President of the Council from a list of qualified and available persons maintained by the Council. If, within thirty days, the arbitrators cannot agree on an umpire, the President of the Council shall designate an umpire from the list previously referred to. The arbitrators and the umpire shall then jointly constitute an arbitral tribunal. Any arbitral tribunal established under this or the preceding Article shall settle its own procedure and give its decisions by majority vote, provided that the Council may determine procedural questions in the event of any delay which in the opinion of the Council is excessive”.

Selama ini bentuk/macam sengketa/ketidaksefahaman bidang “aviasi” bisa terjadi dalam berbagai keadaan dan bentuk, seperti design pesawat, jual beli pesawat, termasuk disini keadaan yang menyangkut perbankan / leasing / sewa-beli dan lain-lain. Dalam proses penyelesaian sengketanya, ketentuannya yang berlaku/diterapkan pertama-tama “the law of the parties/the law of procedure”, kemudian lex specialis, lex generalis dan akhirnya ex aequo et bono. Sengketa yang banyak terjadi adalah apa yang dinamakan oleh “Annexes” sebagai “accident” (kecelakaan dengan akibat luka atau meninggalnya penumpang) dan “serious incident” (yang berkaitan dengan pengoperasian pesawat udara), misalnya keterlambatan pemberangkatan, hilang/rusaknya cargo dan lain-lain. Dalam penyelesaian sengketa/ketidaksefahaman bidang “aviasi”, para arbiter harus mampu mengenal dan menerapkan bukan saja “lex specialis”/hukum-hukum berkaitan dengan “aviasi”, akan tetapi juga bentuk/system hukum dunia, mengingat aviasi itu merupakan kegiatan lintas negara. Dalam mengantisipasi terjadinya “accident” maupun “serious incident” beberapa Negara maju telah berusaha untuk membuat “data” bidang-bidang “aviasi” mana yang rentan dan penyelesaiannya paling tepat dilakukan melalui arbitrase/aps (pengalaman penulis disini misalnya penunjukkan penyelesaian sengketa operator contra penumpang oleh Lloyd of London – sengketa penyerahan pesawat dari Aerospatiale – Perancis ke Indonesia, dan lain-lain). Di bawah beberapa usaha yang dilakukan oleh USA, sebagai negara terkemuka di bidang produksi, operator penerbangan, sebagai berikut:**)

1. Representative Ritter then announced his proposed Airline Passenger Defense Act of 1990. This plan would:

1. Prohibit flight cancellations for reasons other than safety within 72 hours of a scheduled departure, and compensate passengers for such prohibited cancellations.
2. In order to allow passengers to make alternate arrangements, require airlines to notify passengers of delays that will last at least 15 minutes, the reason for the delay, and the approximate length of the delay.
3. Increase the limit of liability when airlines lose baggage from $1250 to $2500, and penalize the airlines that do not do so.
4. When baggage delivery is delayed three or more hours, require airlines to compensate passengers for the delay, and simplify the procedures for reporting and being reimbursed for lost baggage.
5. When a lost or damaged baggage claim is made, the airlines must resolve the claim within 30 days to avoid having to pay a penalty directly to the passenger.

2.   Language of House Bill 700.

Representative Shuster attached a summary of the Passenger Bill of Rights to a press release announcing the unveiling of the proposed legislation, House Bill 700:

1. Requires airlines to pay compensation to passengers if they are kept waiting on the runway for more than two hours either prior to takeoff or after landing. The compensation would be twice the value of the ticket and would increase proportionally as the wait lengthens. Compensation would triple at three hours, quadruple at four hours, etc. Departure delays attributable to air traffic control would not require compensation from the carrier.
2. Prohibits an airline from using a single flight number to denote a flight that it knows will involve a change of aircraft. The number of passengers on the flight would multiply the penalty.
3. Requires an airline to explain the reasons for a delay, cancellation, or diversion to a different airport and penalizes the airline, not the employee, if the explanation is false or misleading ….
4. Requires airlines to refund the money of any passenger on a flight that is cancelled for economic reasons. Requires airlines to report all cancellations to DOT (Department of Transportation) including the flight number, departure time, and load factor of the flight cancelled. The DOT must review reports submitted and determine whether a pattern of cancelling a specific flight exists or of cancelling flights with low load factors (under 30 percent). If DOT finds that a flight was cancelled for economic reasons, passengers on that flight must have their money refunded.
5. Requires airlines to make a good faith effort to return lost property to the owner if the person’s name is on the property.
6. Prohibits security screeners from separating babies from their parents.
7. In cases where airlines share their two-letter designator code on a flight (code sharing), requires airlines to notify passengers if they will not actually be flying on the airline whose code is being used.
8. Directs airlines not to prohibit or change an additional fee to passengers who only use a portion of their ticket. This is designed to permit “hidden city” ticketing (where the passenger buys a ticket for a more distant point but gets off the plane at the first stop because the ticket to the more distant point was cheaper) and “back-to-back” ticketing (where the passenger buys two round trip tickets but uses only half of each because doing so takes advantages of the cheaper tickets one can get by staying over a Saturday night).
9. Require airlines to reveal, upon request, the number or percentage of seats that are available for use by those redeeming frequent flyer awards.
10. Directs DOT to study and report to Congress on whether airlines are providing adequate supervision of unaccompanied minors on their flights.

3.   Congressman Dingell introduced a similar bill, the Passenger Entitlement and Competition Enhancement Act, House Bill 780. There are several slight differences between House Bill 780 and House Bill 700.

a.   H.R. 780 would require all airlines to have an emergency plan on record with the Department of Transportation to ensure that, in the event of an emergency, all boarded passengers would have access to such necessary services as food, water, emergency medical services, and restroom facilities…. Failure to have such a plan on file would result in the suspension of the carrier’s license. Also, violations of the emergency plan would yield $10,000 fines.

b.  H.R. 780 would also alter carrier liability by doubling it from the current $1,250 for mishandled baggage, to $2,500 for provable damages that the passenger incurred because of the carrier’s improper handling.

c.   In addition, H.R. 780 would specify that should a passenger be involuntarily denied boarding, the air carrier would not be absolved of its responsibility to carry any such passenger to the passenger’s final destination. Further, if the scheduled arrival time of the alternative transportation is not within two hours of the originally scheduled arrival time, then the airline must also provide affected passengers with a voucher or refund equal in value to the original price paid by the passenger for the original flight.

4.   The nine-point Air Travellers’ Bill of Rights, which gives passengers the right to:

1. Truth in advertised prices, schedules and seat availability.
2. Equal access to unbiased, comparative travel information and all fare and service options.
3. A comfortable seat, reasonable space for carry-on luggage, healthful meals, and clean sanitary facilities, regardless of class of service.
4. Timely and courteous assistance in making connections.
5. Use all, part or none of the segments on any ticket purchased.
6. Timely, complete and truthful information and courteous assistance regarding delays, cancellations, and equipment changes.
7. Timely and courteous assistance for the disabled and unaccompanied children.
8. Appropriate in-flight medical emergency assistance.
9. Access to the courts and state consumer laws to resolve disputes with airlines.

5.   Language of Senate Bill 383.

In the case of a certified air carrier, an air carrier’s failure:

1. To inform a ticketed passenger, upon request, whether the flight on which the passenger is ticketed is oversold;
2. To permit a passenger holding a conformed reserved space on a flight to use portions of that passenger’s ticket for travel, rather than the entire ticket, regardless of the reason any other portion of the ticket is not used;
3. To deliver a passenger’s checked baggage within 24 hours after arrival of the flight on which the passenger travelled and on which the passenger checked the baggage, except for reasonable delays in the delivery of such baggage;
4. To provide a consumer full access to all fares for that air carrier, regardless of the technology the consumer uses to access the fares if such information is requested by that consumer;
5. To provide notice to each passenger holding a confirmed reserved space on a flight with reasonable prior notice when a scheduled flight will be delayed for any reason (other than reasons of national security);
6. To inform passengers accurately and truthfully of the reason for the delay, cancellation, or diversion of a flight;
7. To refund the full purchase price of an unused ticket if the passenger requests a refund within 48 hours after the ticket is purchased; and
8. To disclose to consumers information that would enable them to make informed decisions about the comparative value of frequent flyer programs among airlines, including the number of seats redeemable on each flight and the percentage of successful and failed redemptions on each airline and on each flight. Among these points are:

1)  Inform passengers of the lowest fare available. Each ATA airline will quote the lowest available fare for which the customer is eligible on the airline’s telephone reservation system for the flight and class of service requested.

2)   Delay notification. Airlines will notify customers of known delays, cancellations and diversions. Each airline will establish and implement policies and procedures for notifying customers at the airport and on board affected aircraft of information regarding delays, diversions and cancellations in a timely manner.

3)  Complaints. Each airline will assign a customer service representative responsible for handling passenger complaints and ensuring that all written complaints are responded to within 60 days.

4)   Increase baggage liability limit. ATA airlines have already petitioned the DOT to increase the current baggage liability limit of $1,250 per bag to $2,500. Airlines applaud the DOT for their quick action on this request.

5)  Meet customers’ essential needs. During long on-aircraft delays, ATA airlines will make every reasonable effort to provide food, water, restroom facilities and access to medical treatment for on-board passengers who are on the ground for an extended period without access to the terminal.

6)  Disclosure. Each airline will make available the following to their customers: cancellation policies resulting from failure to use each flight coupon; rules, restrictions and an annual report on frequent flyer programs; and upon request, information regarding airline seat size and pitch.

Selanjutnya dalam proses arbitrase bidang aviasi ataupun bidang lainnya sebaiknya diusahakan mengikuti:

Priyatna’s Checklist For (International) Arbitration

Sequence of the Arbitration Process:

1.      The Request for Arbitration (Arbitration Clause).

2.      The Response.

3.      The Tribunal and Register.

4.      Notices and Periods of Time.

5.      Formation of the Arbitral Tribunal.

6.      Nationality of Arbitrators.

7.      Party and Other Nominations.

8.      Three or More Parties.

9.      Expedited Formation.

10. Revocation of Arbitrator’s Appointment.

11. Nomination and replacement of arbitrator’s.

12. Majority power to continue proceedings.

13. Submission of written statements and documents.

14. Conduct of the proceedings/Terms of Reference.

15. Submission of written statements and documents.

16. Seat of arbitration and place of hearing.

17. Language of arbitration.

18. Party representations.

19. Hearings.

20. Witnesses.

21. Experts to the Arbitral Tribunal.

22. Additional power of the Arbitral Tribunal.

23. Jurisdiction of the Arbitral Tribunal.

24. Deposits.

25. Interim and conservatory measures.

26. The award.

27. Correction of award and additional awards.

28. Arbitration and legal costs.

29. Decisions by the Tribunal.

30. Confidentiality.

31. Exclusion of liability.

32. General rules.

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**) Sumber:

-          http/www.air-transport.org/public/news/446.asp.

-          http/www.air-transport.org/public.

-          Airline Passenger Bill of Rights Act. Of 1999.

-          Shuster Unveils Passenger Bill of Rights, Congress Daily, Feb. 10, 1999.

-          http/www.house.gov/transportationpress/press88.htm.

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