Job Discussion Forums

malu · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 1344 Location: Sunny Java

Adam Air had another of what the aviation industry calls a 'runway excursion' at Batam yesterday. Aircraft bounced 3x on landing, right side landing gear collapsed causing the aircraft to veer off the runway with a bent wing (plane a write-off). Thankfully nobody hurt.

Adam are quite famous for such aerobatics, having written off 3 737's over the previous year. However, rumour has it that Adam are in deep financial excrement and are likely to stop flying (at least under it's present name) in the near future.

Lion are into massive marketing and expansion right now but their ambitions are limited by a shortage of aircrew. Incredibly, Lion aircrew don't have a duty roster this month but instead all are on 'SMS Standby' so they don't know their duties from one day to the next.

I could go on, airline by airline, but it gets repetitive.

What are your experiences of flying around the archipelago?

The nearest I've come to a brown underpants flying situation here was when a Garuda pilot aborted landing at absolutely the last moment. I never realised a elderly 737 could pull up quite that quickly. Found out later that ATC had allowed another plane out onto the runway.

tanyakenapa · Joined: 06 Feb 2007 Posts: 180 Location: Batavia

Mine would have to be... in 1991, we were flying from Makassar up to Menado on xmas eve with Garuda. When we were approaching Menado, the plane was told to fly back to Makassar due to a bad storm.

This happened TWICE in the one day.

Then eventually on the 3rd attempt we were about to land, but the runway could be seen to the right of the plane. So the plane had to go around once again and approach once more. It was still raining at the time and a lot of turbulence.

What made it worse, was that it was pitch black (about midnight by now) and Menado airport is surrounded by mountains.

But the only times I really hate flying is from Jakarta to Australia during the wet season, you will always encounter turbulance (and always during meal times) while over Indonesia and the ocean between Indo/Oz, once over the mainland of Oz its smooth as.....

jhemmila · Joined: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 49 Location: Batam, Indonesia

I saw that in the Jakarta Post the other day. Kinda scary, since I just flew back from Batam the previous day. Thankfully flying Air Asia, which is just a few notches up from Adam.

sherlock · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 72

wailing_imam · Joined: 31 Mar 2006 Posts: 580 Location: Malaya

Really? I thought Air Asia in Indonesia was owned by an Indonesian company called Awair who went into partnership with the Malaysians.

The Indonesian Air Asia planes are 737-400s I think, not the newest in the book, compared with Lion Air's new 737-900 series.

Indonesian Air Asia is also banned by the EU, unlike the Malaysian company.

I hate flying in Indonesia, but would choose Garuda first, and Air Asia second, and others only in desperation.