The temporary closure was based on notice to airmen (NOTAM) No. A0693/21 that state-owned air navigation firm AirNav Indonesia had issued shortly after the incident.
The cargo plane skidded off the runway while returning to base two minutes after taking off from Halim Perdanakusuma during its flight to Makassar in South Sulawesi Province.
The Boeing 737-500's pilot decided to return to base owing to a technical glitch, AirNav Indonesia spokesman Yohanes Harry Douglas Sirait noted.
"Shortly after landing, the aircraft, bearing registration number PK-YSF, skidded off the runway toward the right side, thereby resulting in it blocking the runway," he stated.
To avoid flight disruption, AirNav Indonesia's air traffic controllers had worked with their counterparts from the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, Sirait revealed.
Meanwhile, the Halim Perdanakusuma airport authority confirmed that four people boarding this ill-fated cargo plane, including two pilots and a technician, are all safe.
"We are closely coordinating with related stakeholders in handling the plane," spokesman of state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II Yado Yarismano remarked.
Five Batik Air flights and two Citilink flights were diverted to the Soekarno Hatta International Airport owing to the incident, Yarismano noted in a press statement.
On March 6, 2021, the Batik Air flight ID-6803 also returned to base at the Sulthan Thaha Airport's runway in Jambi Province.
The aircraft, with 117 passengers and six crew members aboard, took off from Jambi for the Soekarno Hatta International Airport on March 6 at 1:28 p.m. local time.
However, shortly after departure, the pilot decided to "return to base" at around 1:51 p.m. local time after encountering issues related to the aircraft's nose gear.
After landing safely, the Batik Air Flight ID-6803 came to a halt at a position on the Sulthan Thaha Airport's runway.
All passengers and crew members of the Airbus A320-200, bearing registration number PK-LUT, safely disembarked.
Fortunately, the aircraft could have been towed from the runway on March 7 at 6:35 a.m. local time, so that flights from the Jambi City-based airport could resume normally.
Related news: Flood forces temporary shutdown of operations at Halim Perdanakusuma
Related news: Indonesia opens Halim Perdanakusuma for commercial flights EDITED BY INE
Translator: Adimas RFP, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
