REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- An Indonesian aircraft from Batik Air collided with a TransNusa plane as it was taking off from the Halim Perdanakusuma airport in East Jakarta on Monday evening (Apr 4).
A part of the left wing of the Batik Air aircraft was damaged as a result of the collision.
The Batik Air flight ID 7703 was en route from Jakarta to Ujung Pandang, East Sulawesi.
Batik Air is a full-service airline and a subsidiary of Lion Air. A press release from Lion Air said that the Batik Air plane had been cleared for take-off by airport controllers, but collided with the smaller TransNusa aircraft that was being towed by a tractor, quoted from AFP.
The Batik Air pilot then decided to abort the take-off to ensure the safety of passengers. A total of 49 passengers and 7 crew members were on board and all were evacuated via the plane's emergency slide.
There were no reports of casualties in the incident, Lion Air added. "With regard to the incident, we are waiting for the results of investigations from the relevant authorities," said Edward Sirait, president director of Lion Air Group.