Susi Air Plane Burned at Papua; Pilot, Passengers' Whereabouts Still Unknown
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8 February 2023 09:06 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Spokesperson for the Transportation Ministry Adita Irawati said the whereabouts of the pilot and passengers of the Susi Air PK-BVY aircraft which was burned in the Paro Sub-district Airport of Papua were still unknown.
The ministry’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation through the Head of Merauke Region X Airport Authority Office continued to coordinate and monitor the development of the airplane attack incident.
“The Paro airport is still temporarily closed, considering the damaged plane is in the middle of the runway which makes it impossible to operate flights to or from Paro,” Adita said in a written statement, on Wednesday, February 8, 2023.
The Civil Aviation Directorate General asked related parties to tighten airport security and always coordinate with local security forces. Air transport operators were also asked to carry out more intensive checks on passengers by checking their boarding passes and identification, as well as luggage.
“For all airports in Nduga Regency, Papua, managed by the regional government, we urge them to be selective and always coordinate with security forces when granting flight permits,” said Adita.
The initial report of the incident was received by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Tuesday, February 7, 2022, at 06:17 eastern Indonesian time (WIT).
Based on the report, said Adita, the PK-BVY aircraft for the Timika - Paro route took off normally from Timika Airport at 05:30 WIT and landed at 06:17 WIT at Paro Airport. Several hours later, the Susi Air Station in Timika was informed by the Nduga District Police that the plane was damaged.
A legal advocate of Susi Air, Donal Fariz, said the plane carried five passengers and luggage weighing 452 kilograms. After two hours of losing contact, the plane’s emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was detected at 09:12 WIT.
The company then sent another plane for checking and found it on fire on the runway. “It was suspected that the burning of the plane was not caused by technical problems because the plane landed and parked safely,” Donal said on Tuesday, February 7, 2023.
RIRI RAHAYU
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