Indonesia beefing up security at all airports

Indonesia is upgrading security at its 192 airports to guard against possible terrorist attacks, weeks after a deadly bombing and shooting assault by Islamic militants in downtown Jakarta.

The measures will include fences that comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, "first-class" baggage X-ray machines and retraining for security officers, Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan said in an interview this week. "We shouldn't wait for indications and then act. We have to prepare better. We will increase the standards of airport security all over the country."

Aviation security has come under renewed scrutiny since an apparent bomb downed a Russian passenger plane last October, killing 224 people, and a suicide bomber blew a hole in the side of a plane flying from Somalia earlier this month, killing himself.

Last month, Islamic militants carried out a gun-and-bomb attack in Indonesia's capital, in a reminder of the threat posed by extremism in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Mr Jonan defended the slew of safety regulations he has issued or enforced since taking office in October 2014. The rules include immediate route suspension for airlines involved in safety incidents, as well as a floor on ticket prices.