Child Opens Indonesian Plane’s Over Handle Emergency Door Mid-Flight

PALEMBANG, KOMPAS.com – An Indonesian budget carrier Citilink flight QG 944 from Jakarta to Batam made an emergency landing at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport, Palembang in South Sumatera on Monday afternoon, September 27, an official said.

Citilink vice president of corporate secretary and corporate social responsibility (CSR) Diah Suryani said that the emergency landing was caused by a disturbance on the airplane. A child seated in row 11 suddenly removed the over handle emergency exit door without parent supervision.

The pilot in command was then informed of the incident and decided to divert the plane to the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport in Palembang city.

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“The captain immediately decided to divert the plane to the nearest airport to further check the condition of the aircraft and ensure its safety and security,” said Diah in a statement on Tuesday, September 28.

After all the technical checks were completed, the flight took off to Batam at 7.10 pm local time. The cabin crew also asked for more information regarding the incident from the child’s parents.

Diah said that all passengers on the flight were safe and sound as the aircraft, which did not indicate any issue, continued the journey to Batam.

“Currently, the plane has landed safely in Batam. We can inform you that before flying to Batam, the maintenance team and the authorities have inspected the plane, which is allowed to resume its flight,” said Diah.

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Meanwhile, Indonesian carrier Citilink will only allow children to board the aircraft after receiving permission and recommendations from the local Covid-19 Task Force in the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. All documents of the passengers have also been checked based on the procedures.

“Citilink always prioritizes the safety and security aspects of a flight. We always try to anticipate anything that may interfere with the safety and security of the flight,” said Diah.

(Writer: Aji YK Putra | Editor: Abba Gabrillin)

Source: https://regional.kompas.com/read/2021/09/28/094319578/seorang-anak-lepas-penutup-tuas-pintu-darurat-pesawat-citilink-mendarat?page=2.