Bad Weather, Two Flights To Ambon Diverted To Sorong And Makassar

The atmosphere of Pattimura International Airport, Ambon after two planes failed to land due to bad weather on Sunday morning 9 July 2023. (Between)

JAKARTA - Two flights to Pattimura International Airport Ambon, Maluku, have been diverted to the nearest airport due to bad weather since Sunday morning.

"Two planes cannot land at Pattimura Airport due to bad weather in Ambon which has resulted in limited visibility," said Legal, Compliance & Stakeholder Relations Manager of PT Angkasa Pura (AP) I Pattimura Airport Ambon, Atufatul Ismi in Ambon as quoted by Antara, Sunday.

Two flights were diverted due to bad weather, namely Batik Air with flight number ID 6170 with route Jakarta (CGK) to Ambon (AMQ). The flight had to be diverted to Sorong (SOQ).

As well as Citilink QG 210, the Cengkareng-Ambon route was also diverted to Makassar.

According to the schedule today, the two flights are scheduled to land in Ambon, namely Batik Air at 06.55 WIT and Citilink at 07.00 WIT.

The impact of flight diversion due to bad weather in Ambon City, until now the passengers with the two routes destination are still waiting at a number of gates at Pattimura Airport.

"Passengers are still waiting for two aircraft that have not been landed at Pattimura Airport," he said.

The disruption of flight activity at Pattimura Airport was caused by heavy rain, which has flushed Ambon since Saturday night (8/7).

"High-intensity rain limited visibility, so the plane canceled the landing so it was diverted to another airport," he said.

He added that according to applicable procedures, if bad weather flights whose positions have approached the airport will be diverted to the nearest airport or if possible, they will wait in the air.

"If the weather is still bad, the plane from the area of origin will wait for departure until conditions improve," he said.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predicts rain has the potential to fall in a number of areas in Maluku.

In the weather early warning system, BMKG predicts a number of areas that have the potential to experience moderate to heavy rain that can be accompanied by lightning and strong winds in Maluku, namely Ambon City, Central Maluku Regency, South Buru, Buru, and Aru Islands.