An Indonesian aircraft carrying 54 people remained missing after losing contact with air traffic control in Papua Province yesterday, prompting a search for the airplane.
Trigana Air Service Flight IL267 was on its way to Oksibil Airport from Sentani Airport in Jayapura, Indonesian Ministry of Transportation spokesman J.A. Barata said in a text message. The aircraft took off at 2:22pm and was scheduled to arrive in Oksibil at 3:04pm. The flight lost contact with the Oksibil tower at 2:55pm, he said.
The turboprop plane, made by ATR, was carrying 44 adult passengers, five children and infants and had five crew members, the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency said on Twitter. The agency’s Jayapura office is starting a search for the airplane, it said.
The missing airplane once again brought aviation safety in Asia back into focus after a spate of crashes in the past two years.
In December last year, an airplane belonging to the Indonesian unit of AirAsia Bhd crashed into the ocean, killing all on board.
Last year, Malaysia Airlines lost two aircraft, while Taipei-based TransAsia Airways Corp (復興航空) suffered two fatal crashes in the past two years.
Flight IL267 was operated using an ATR 42-300, which had its first flight 27 years ago, according to Aviation Safety Net, a Web site that collects information about aviation accidents. The airplane is powered by two Pratt & Whitney engines, according to the Web site.
A call to the ATR office in France was not answered outside of office hours.
A spate of crashes over the past decade prompted Indonesia in 2008 to amend laws and boost aircraft safety checks after the EU imposed a ban on its carriers from flying to Europe. The ban has been partially lifted since then.
Indonesia AirAsia’s Flight QZ8501 crashed in December after taking off from Indonesia’s Surabaya en route to Singapore without a permit to fly that day. The government suspended the firm’s license for that route and found other airlines in breach of permits and removed officials involved from the ministry, state air navigation operator AirNav Indonesia and state airport company PT Angkasa Pura 1.
In February, an ATR 72-600 aircraft belonging to TransAsia Airways crashed into a river in Taipei moments after taking off.
Another ATR aircraft belonging to the same airline crashed in July last year.
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