TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A low-cost carrier Citilink flight from Jakarta to Batam made an emergency landing at Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport Palembang, South Sumatra, on Monday evening, September 27.

The airline’s VP Corporate Secretary & CSR, Diah Suryani, explained the emergency landing was carried out after a child passenger removed the protective cover of the emergency door lever without the parents’ control.

The aircraft with flight number QG 944 managed to land safely. Before resuming the trip to Batam, Diah added, the airline’s engineering team and the authorities checked the condition of the aircraft's feasibility. “They said it was safe to resume the journey,” she said in an official statement on Tuesday, September 28.

According to Diah, the cabin crew immediately took action according to the procedure for such an incident. The cabin crew also grilled the child's parents immediately. The authority in Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport also asked for an explanation from the child's parents after landing.

Diah ensured that Citilink operations continued to run normally and that all passengers on the flight were in good condition. “Citilink transported the children with the permission and recommendation of the local COVID-19 Task Force [in Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Tangerang],” she said.

Read: Passenger Dies while Airborne; Lion Air Makes Emergency Landing

ANTARA