Mount Marapi Eruption, Ministry Of Transportation Temporarily Closes Minangkabau International Airport

Airport illustration (Photo: dock. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Transportation through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has instructed Minangkabau International Airport in Padang to temporarily close its operations. This decision was taken as a mitigation due to the eruption of Mount Marapi.

Just for information, based on field observations with a paper test conducted from 07.00 a.m. to 08.30 a.m. UTC, it was detected that there was ash from Mount Marapi.

The closure of this airport was announced through a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) with Number B2559/23 NOTAMN.

Direktur Jenderal Perhubungan Udara, M. Kristi Endah Murni mengatakan keputusan penutupan karena alasan keselamatan penerbangan terutama adalah sebaran murah dapat membahayakan dan menghentikan pekerja mesin pesawat pesawat.

"This closure decision was taken with the main consideration of flight safety," he said in an official statement, Friday, December 22.

Based on information, Kristi said, the volcanic ash had an impact on 15 flights, including 2 international flights and 13 domestic flights.

"As a result, 1 flight must return to the airport of origin or return to base and another 14 must be canceled," he explained.

Kristi said that his party through the Regional Airport Authority VI Padang will continue to monitor and monitor the development of the situation in the form of field observations carried out at intervals of 1 to 2 hours at several points around the airport.

That with the force majeure, Kristi appealed to airlines to compensate passengers who had purchased tickets, including full refund, reschedule, or re-route options to the nearest airport if seat was still available.

Furthermore, Kisti said that this compensation is expected to help passengers affected by airport closures.

"We understand that this policy can cause inconvenience, but the safety of all parties involved remains a top priority. We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of all parties involved in this situation, and hopefully the conditions at Minangkabau Airport will return to normal quickly," Kristi said.

Regarding the handling of volcanic eruptions and the handling of the impact of volcanic ash on flight safety operations, the Directorate General of Hubud has issued Circular Letter number SE 15 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of Aviation in Force Majeure Situations as well as Decree of the Director General of Air Transportation Number KP 153 of 2019 concerning Procedures and Procedures for Collaborative Decision Makin (CDM) for Handling the Impact of Volcanic Ash on Aviation Operations through the Integrated Web Based Aeronautical Information System Handling (I-WISH) so that the handling of the force majeure eruption of Mount Marapi refers to the two letters as implementation guidelines.

"We are committed to continuing to monitor the situation and coordinating with relevant stakeholders in handling force majeure in order to take the necessary steps for the safety, security and comfort of flights," concluded Kristi.