INDONESIA’S Merpati Nusantara Airlines flight crash-landed at El Tari Airport, East Nusa Tenggara yesterday but all 46 passengers survived.
Flight MZ6517, which was operated by a Xian MA 60 aircraft, was scheduled to travel from Bajawa, Flores to Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara. There were no reports of malfunction during the course of the flight.
Merpati’s corporate secretary, Herry Saptanto, said in a media statement that the aircraft was in good condition and the preliminary presumption was that the aircraft hard-landed.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
Apart from the Bajawa-Kupang service, the same aircraft was also serving Kupang-Waingapu (East Nusa Tenggara) and Kupang-Alor routes. The airline has since deployed another Xian MA60 to minimise disruption on the other routes, said Saptono.
Merpati Nusantara Airlines is a state-owned airline company, which mostly serves remote destinations within Indonesia, including the eastern islands of Indonesia frequented by special interest tourists such as Flores and Rajaampat.
