Three major accidents within 10 weeks, 123 deaths and now a safety warning from the U.S. have prompted tougher action from Indonesia, which says it will close airlines within three months if they fail to improve their operations. The country will also audit its airports. About half of the 19 main facilities don't comply with international safety standards, it says.

China has moved into operational deployment of its planned system of positioning satellites, with the launch of the first such spacecraft without the label "experimental." The Apr. 14 launch of the Compass 1M satellite may turn out to be just as important for the country's hard-pressed civil air traffic management system as it will be for the People's Liberation Army's ambitions to avoid reliance on the Pentagon's GPS.

The U.S. advised its citizens Tuesday not to fly on Indonesian airlines, as Jakarta stepped up its threats against six carriers it says are deficient; if the six airlines don't shape up within three months, they'll be closed down, the government says. Following three serious accidents this year, the U.S. travel warning was based on an FAA decision to downgrade the agency's assessment of Indonesian safety oversight, which it says fails to comply with ICAO standards.