General Manager of Ngurah Rai Airport: Jetstar Plane Turns Back To Australia Because It Does Not Meet Bali's Entry Requirements

ILLUSTRATION/UNSPLASH/Josh Withers

BADUNG - General Manager (GM) PT. Angkasa Pura I I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport Bali Handy Heryudhitiawan said the Jetstar Airways JQ035 plane turned back to Melbourne, Australia because it did not meet the requirements to land in Bali.

"Coordinating with Jetstar management, the solution is that some passengers will be diverted to Virgin Australia and Qantas flights that night, some will spend the night at hotels with Jetstar's responsibility", Handy said in a written statement, Thursday, December 29.

Jetstar Airways flew the aircraft from Melbourne as extra flight JQ1035 on December 28. Overall, Jetstar Airways airline flies 7 flight schedules to Bali from various cities in Australia.

"We hope that in the future the flights carried out by the airlines can be ascertained that they have met the existing requirements and procedures and ensure coordination with airport management in the event of irregularities", said Handy.

Previously, the Jetstar JQ35 flight from Melbourne, Australia, was reportedly refused to land in Denpasar, Bali, on Tuesday, December 27 evening due to a miscommunication.

Australian media reported that the plane was originally scheduled to depart from Melbourne Airport to Denpasar to arrive at 01.25 Indonesian times. However, the plane was delayed for five hours before finally departing at around 23.00 local time.

The plane had almost arrived on the outskirts of Australia. However, the plane returned to Melbourne after briefly turning in the air.

According to FlightRadar24 footage, the plane made a U-turn in the sky before heading toward Victoria. The passengers then poured out their frustration on social media after being forced to air for 12 hours.

A Jetstar spokesman also opened his voice after speculation arose about why the plane was refused entry. He said there was an internal miscommunication that resulted in the plane being forced to turn around.