JAKARTA - Flight activity at Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, is back to normal, safe and under control after bad weather in the form of tornadoes hit the airport area.
The Ministry of Transportation through the Directorate General of Air Transportation ensures that all stakeholders move quickly to carry out security, check facilities, and recovery so that flight services continue to run.
Director General of Air Transportation, Lukman F. Laisa, admitted that extreme weather events had an impact on a number of flights that had to be held and even diverted to other airports.
"All mitigation steps are carried out in accordance with the applicable procedures. Flight safety is the top priority," Lukman said in an official statement on Friday, January 9.
Lion Air, Garuda Indonesia, and Sriwijaya Air flights are recorded to have held arrivals and departures.
Meanwhile, planes from Balikpapan, Makassar, and Jakarta were diverted to Ahmad Yani Airport, Semarang due to weather conditions that did not allow for landing at Juanda Airport.
"There are no reports of aircraft damage from all affected airlines," he said.
On the air side, strong winds caused some ground support equipment, especially the passenger stairs in the apron area, to shift and collapse. All incidents have been handled and have no impact on the aircraft.
The results of the inspection confirmed that the runway and apron were free of foreign object debris (FOD), flight navigation facilities were reported to be undamaged and operating normally, and the airport perimeter was maintained.
In the Terminal 1 area, there were fallen trees and signs that collapsed at the northern entrance road so that the flow of vehicles had to be diverted and now it has returned to normal. Several vehicles were reported to have been hit by trees in the parking area, but the conditions inside the terminal building remained conducive.
The recovery process was carried out with the support of Lanudal Juanda, BPBD, and internal elements of airport management. Meanwhile, Terminal 2 did not experience significant impacts. Terminal operations and vehicle traffic flow run smoothly, and conditions inside the building remain safe and under control.
Regarding passenger services, a number of flights were delayed due to bad weather, including Garuda Indonesia, Citilink Indonesia, Nam Air, and Xiamen Airlines flights.
Airlines and airport operators have implemented delay management in accordance with the provisions through updating schedule information on the Flight Information Display System (FIDS), delivering announcements to passengers, and providing compensation.
"We ensure that airlines and airport managers handle flight delays transparently and in accordance with regulations, including providing clear information to passengers," said Lukman.
The Directorate General of Air Transportation continues to strengthen cross-sectoral supervision and coordination and stakeholders to ensure that the operation of Juanda Airport runs according to safety, security, and aviation service standards, and expresses appreciation to all service users for their understanding and cooperation during the handling of the impact of bad weather.
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