Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
Image Courtesy : TNI
According to a comprehensive foreign media report, Ethiopian Cargo Boeing 777F aircraft (Registration No.: ET-AVN) carrying goods from Ethiopian Airlines broke into Indonesian airspace on 14 January 2019, and two Indonesian Air Force (TNI) F-16 fighters took off and intercepted it, forcing the Boeing 777F to land in Batam Hang Nadim International Airport, Indonesia, at about 9.33 am local time.
The aircraft flight ET3728 was on its way from Addis Ababa to Singapore and Hong Kong.
Indonesian Air Force spokesman Novyan Samyoga said, "A Boeing 777 cargo plane was intercepted by the Air Force and landed at the Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, south of Singapore."
After the landing, the Indonesian Air Force immediately inspected the pilots and crew of the cargo plane. There were 6 people on the plane, a captain and a co-driver and 4 crew members. The cargo plane was also inspected.
The Indonesian Air Force stated that the aircraft passed Indonesian airspace without a flight permit. The Indonesian National Air Defense Command ordered two Indonesian F-16 fighter jets to be intercepted. Two fighter pilots made visual contact with the Boeing 777 and communicated at an emergency frequency, forcing Ethiopian aviation pilots to land at the Indonesian airport. "The location of the Ethiopian air plane was in the airspace of Batam, and the airspace was still controlled by Singapore. But everything went well," the whole process took 20 minutes without encountering resistance. "They (Boeing 777 pilots) follow F- 16 pilot's instructions."
Ethiopian Airlines stated in a statement that “the non-scheduled cargo flight from the cargo plane from Addis Ababa to Singapore flew over Indonesia’s airspace in accordance with Article 5 of the ICAO Chicago Convention, according to which non-scheduled flights can fly over the friendly national airspace without prior permission."
Photo: Ethiopian Airlines Statement Image Source: Ethiopian Airlines Twitter
An executive of Ethiopian Airlines, who asked not to be named, said that the plane was scheduled to fly to Hong Kong International Airport to pick up the cargo and was assigned to Singapore at the last minute to send an engine for emergency repair. He said, “With the exception of the aircraft engine, it did not carry the cargo. We obtained the landing permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), but there is no Indonesian authority’s overflight permit because we consider Indonesia to be a friendly country.” He added that before entering the friendly national airspace, getting the license code for a temporary cargo flight is usually a common practice in Asia. Political disputes between Indonesia and Singapore may complicate matters.
As of 11.00 pm on 16 January 2019, Ethiopian Cargo flight ET3728 has stranded on Hang Nadim International Airport of Batam for nearly 70 hours. The aircraft was delivered to Ethiopian Cargo in August 2018.
UPDATE : Flight ET3728 has arrived in Changi Airport from Batam in the morning of 17 January 2019 and has left for Hong Kong in the afternoon.
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals
Image Courtesy : TNI
According to a comprehensive foreign media report, Ethiopian Cargo Boeing 777F aircraft (Registration No.: ET-AVN) carrying goods from Ethiopian Airlines broke into Indonesian airspace on 14 January 2019, and two Indonesian Air Force (TNI) F-16 fighters took off and intercepted it, forcing the Boeing 777F to land in Batam Hang Nadim International Airport, Indonesia, at about 9.33 am local time.
The aircraft flight ET3728 was on its way from Addis Ababa to Singapore and Hong Kong.
Indonesian Air Force spokesman Novyan Samyoga said, "A Boeing 777 cargo plane was intercepted by the Air Force and landed at the Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, south of Singapore."
After the landing, the Indonesian Air Force immediately inspected the pilots and crew of the cargo plane. There were 6 people on the plane, a captain and a co-driver and 4 crew members. The cargo plane was also inspected.
The Indonesian Air Force stated that the aircraft passed Indonesian airspace without a flight permit. The Indonesian National Air Defense Command ordered two Indonesian F-16 fighter jets to be intercepted. Two fighter pilots made visual contact with the Boeing 777 and communicated at an emergency frequency, forcing Ethiopian aviation pilots to land at the Indonesian airport. "The location of the Ethiopian air plane was in the airspace of Batam, and the airspace was still controlled by Singapore. But everything went well," the whole process took 20 minutes without encountering resistance. "They (Boeing 777 pilots) follow F- 16 pilot's instructions."
Ethiopian Airlines stated in a statement that “the non-scheduled cargo flight from the cargo plane from Addis Ababa to Singapore flew over Indonesia’s airspace in accordance with Article 5 of the ICAO Chicago Convention, according to which non-scheduled flights can fly over the friendly national airspace without prior permission."
Photo: Ethiopian Airlines Statement Image Source: Ethiopian Airlines Twitter
An executive of Ethiopian Airlines, who asked not to be named, said that the plane was scheduled to fly to Hong Kong International Airport to pick up the cargo and was assigned to Singapore at the last minute to send an engine for emergency repair. He said, “With the exception of the aircraft engine, it did not carry the cargo. We obtained the landing permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), but there is no Indonesian authority’s overflight permit because we consider Indonesia to be a friendly country.” He added that before entering the friendly national airspace, getting the license code for a temporary cargo flight is usually a common practice in Asia. Political disputes between Indonesia and Singapore may complicate matters.
UPDATE : Flight ET3728 has arrived in Changi Airport from Batam in the morning of 17 January 2019 and has left for Hong Kong in the afternoon.
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