Flight Sent Back To Soekarno-Hatta Airport

Tangerang, Banten, Feb 14 (Antara) - A Lion Air flight was forced back to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport as it could not land in Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, after Mount Kelud erupted, stated General Affairs of airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II Yudis Setiawan. "One airplane took off from Soekarno-Hatta to Juanda, but was forced back because the condition in the atmosphere at Juanda was not conducive for landing," said Yudis Setiawan, here on Friday. Yudis explained that the Lion Air flight took off at 5 a.m. local time. However, because of the latest situation at Juanda Airport, it was not allowed to land. "The plane was then sent back to Soekarno-Hatta-Airport," he confirmed. Previously, there were 12 flights from Soekarno-Hatta Airport to Juanda Airport, which were cancelled due to Mount Kelud eruption. However, the statuses of the cancelled flights will change to `waiting till the condition improved. Yudis added that cancellations may occur for the next few days. Mount Kelud erupted on Thursday (Feb. 13) at 10:50 p.m., and the ashes spread to Malang, Surabaya, Banyuwangi and Ampenan (West Nusa Tenggara). The visibility in Adisumarmo International Airport in Solo at 7:40 a.m. improved to 500 meters but the airport was still covered with ashes. Meanwhile, the Juanda Airport in Surabaya was totally closed since the volcanic ashes had filled the air at a height of 46 thousand feet and so, airplanes were not allowed to take off or land.