Reuters AlertNet Lite - Indonesia's Medan flights on time despite fire

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Indonesia's Medan flights on time despite fire

02 Dec 2007 08:52:49 GMT
Source: Reuters

JAKARTA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Flights from Polonia airport in Medan, Indonesia's third-largest city, have not been affected by a fire that destroyed the domestic passenger terminal there, airline and local government officials said on Sunday.

No one was injured in the fire, which swept through the domestic terminal at Medan, the capital of North Sumatra and one of Indonesia's busiest air hubs, late on Saturday.

The fire destroyed the offices of the airport's operator PT Angkasa Pura, leading to disruptions at check-in and in baggage handling, according to Eddy Sofyan, spokesman for the governor of North Sumatra province.

Medan's international terminal, at the same airport, was not affected, he said.

"The airport is operating and was not closed, even during the fire. But now everything has to be done manually because the equipment was damaged and it's a bit more crowded," he said.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, Sofyan said.

Wasfan Wahyu Widodo, from Angkasa Pura's Jakarta office, said there were no reports of delays in Medan.

Pujobroto, a spokesman for Indonesia's main carrier, Garuda Indonesia, said the airline's flights had all departed pretty much on time from Medan.

But a passenger at one of the temporary check-in counters reached by Reuters by phone said her flight had been delayed for almost three hours, although it was not clear whether that was because of the fire or another reason.

"There hasn't been any announcement from the airline nor the airport," said Steffy Rompas, a passenger heading from Medan to Sibolga, a city in North Sumatra.

A new airport is being built for Medan in Deli Serdang district to replace Polonia, which is in the city centre. But the new airport, expected to be the country's second-biggest air hub after Jakarta, will not be ready until 2009.

In 2005, a plane operated by domestic carrier Mandala Airlines crashed moments after take-off in Medan, killing more than 140 people, including 40 on the ground near the airport as the aircraft ploughed into a busy road and market. (Reporting by Ahmad Pathoni and Ade Mardiyati; Editing by Sara Webb and Jerry Norton)

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Last updated:Sun Dec 2 08:51:51 2007