Those onboard were Ferry Irawan, Deden Mulyana and Yoga Naufal, a patrol vessel analyst, state asset manager and aerial photography operator.
Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said the government was deeply concerned and praying for the safety of all passengers and crew.
Makassar SAR officials reported the aircraft missing at 7:20 p.m. Jakarta time on Jan. 17, 2026, prompting search operations, Trenggono said.
He said the IAT-operated flight was conducting aerial monitoring of Indonesia’s fisheries management areas as part of routine maritime surveillance.
The ministry routinely conducts air surveillance nationwide and works with Indonesia Air Transport as the aircraft operator, he added.
Such missions span border regions and waters across archipelago, from Sabang to Merauke, to deter illegal activity, he said.
The ministry is coordinating closely with authorities to track developments in the search for the surveillance aircraft.
Responsibility for search operations and determining the cause rests with Basarnas, the transport safety committee and the transport ministry, Trenggono said.
IAT chief executive Tri Adi Wibowo said seven crew were aboard, including operations director and pilot Andy Dahananto.
The company has dispatched a team to Makassar to assist Basarnas while awaiting search results, he said.
Earlier, the transport ministry said the IAT-operated ATR 42-500 was carrying 10 people when it lost contact in Maros District.
Those included seven crew members and three passengers, the aviation director general said, without identifying them.
The ministry received the loss-of-contact report on Saturday, Jan. 17, involving the aircraft registered PK-THT.
The 2000-built ATR 42-500, serial 611, was flying from Yogyakarta’s Adi Sutjipto airport to Makassar’s Sultan Hasanuddin, with Dahananto as pilot-in-command.
Search efforts are focused on Bantimurung’s limestone hills near Leang-Leang village in Maros, where Basarnas set up a command post.
Further searches were planned using an air force helicopter with Basarnas later on Saturday afternoon.
AirNav Indonesia is preparing a notice to airmen to support search and rescue operations.
Related news: Basarnas confirms 11 people aboard missing ATR 42-500 in Sulawesi
Related news: Indonesia launches search for missing ATR plane in South Sulawesi
Translator: Rizki K, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Primayanti
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