...took off at 2.30pm
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Transportation Minister, EE Mangindaan said that the joy flight of commercial aircraft Sukhoi Super Jet 100 that crashed on Mount Salak, West Java province, on May 9, 2012 was conducted based permits.

"Referring to law number 1/2009 about flight, we received proposal from PT Indoasia Ground Utama on behalf of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft and then we issued permits for the aircraft entry and flight," the minister said in a hearing session with the Comission V of the House of Representatives (DPR) here on Monday.

The admission for the Sukhoi Superjet is the combination of three permits namely for the Diplomatic Clearance from Foreign Affairs Ministry on April 20, 2012, Security Clearance from Military (TNI) headquarters on April 23, 2012 and Flight Clearance from Air Transportation Directorate General on May 7, 2012 with its route Saigon-Halim Perdana Kusuma-Vientien.

The plane took off at 2.30pm from the Halim Perdanakusumah airport but then it was out of radar monitoring, said the Indonesian Air Force head of public information sub-division Col. Agung Sasongko previously.

The 100 Sukhoi is the first commercial jet produced by Sukhoi and has received Federation Aviation Association from the US two years ago.

The plane is of the same class with Boeing 737-400 series and has been relied on by Sukhoi for the Asia Pacific market which grows 11 percent a year.

On Wednesday (May 23), Transportation Minister EE Mangindaan led a ceremony transferring the Sukhoi SuperJet 100 crash victims at Halim Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta.

The Transportation Minister on behalf of the Indonesian government expressed the deepest condolences on the air accident which had taken the lives of 45 people.
(D017)

Editor: Ella Syafputri
Copyright © ANTARA 2012