Bali’s Denpasar International Airport shut down: Plane landing debacle shuts main airport for several hours

Hannah Cross
The Nightly
Bali’s main international airport was thrown into chaos on Saturday (File image)..  (Steven Markham/AAP PHOTOS)
Bali’s main international airport was thrown into chaos on Saturday (File image)..  (Steven Markham/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP

Bali’s main international airport was thrown into chaos on Saturday when a runway was completely shut down after a plane was stranded on the tarmac.

The Airfast plane was flying from Benete in West Sumbawa when it “encountered a technical issue“ while landing at Denpasar International Airport, just before 9.30am on Saturday.

It prompted authorities to close the runway to all aircraft, leaving the plane on the tarmac as emergency services rushed to the scene.

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The closure delayed the departure of 10 flights, five domestic and five international, as passengers onboard the Indonesian carrier’s plane were evacuated.

“The aircraft had seven passengers on board, all of whom were safely evacuated and did not sustain any serious injuries,” said Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, general manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport/Denpasar International Airport.

It’s believed the technical issue was related to the plane’s landing gear not descending properly.

Almost two dozen incoming flights were diverted to alternative airports, six of which were sent to Lombok, five to Surabaya, three to Makassar, two to Semarang, one to Jakarta, and one to Banyuwangi.

A Perth Airport spokeswoman confirmed one inbound Jetstar flight was cancelled, and another 10 were delayed or rescheduled — five inbound and five outbound.

Flights coming from Melbourne and Cairns were also diverted. The runway was reopened after around two hours.

Mr Shahab said authorities also conducted a thorough inspection of the plane “to ensure no foreign objects remained on the runway, which could pose a safety risk to aviation operations”.

“All relevant parties are currently working to resolve the situation, and efforts are underway to reopen the runway as soon as possible,” he said.

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