Don’t Burn Any More Planes

We were shocked that a Pilatus Porter PC-6 registered as PK-BVY went up in flames on Tuesday (7/2/2023) at Paro Airport in Nduga regency, the Papua Highlands.

SUSI AIR

Aerial photo of the condition of the fuselage of the Pilatus type owned by Susi Air with the registration number PK-BVY on fire at Paro Airport, Nduga Regency, Papua Mountains.

Not only were we shocked, but we were also dejected that the aircraft operated by Susi Air was set alight.

Airplanes are the backbone of transportation in Papua, a region with challenging geographical conditions. The aviation industry has not yet recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, so even the loss of one aircraft can have a significant impact.

This incident further illustrates how unsafe conditions are in Papua. Of course, with hundreds of airports in Papua, there are safer areas. However, setting fire to a plane looks bad in the eyes of the international community. Moreover, every flight incident is well documented, complete with supporting data, to be studied by the international aviation community. This incident will hence leave a black mark on the record of Indonesian airliners.

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What is even worse than the arson incident, however, is that an armed criminal group (KKB) led by Egianus Kogoya is still holding hostage the pilot of the Pilatus PC-6, New Zealand national Philip Mark Mehrtens, at the time of writing.

This hostage situation can potentially discourage other pilots from serving on pioneer flights. There are many Indonesian children who dream of becoming pilots, but they dream of flying jet planes on commercial routes.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI (RAD)

The Pilatus Porter type aircraft used for pioneer flights prepares to take off at Rendani Airport, Manokwari, West Papua, Thursday (22/4/2021).

Not all airliners and pilots want to operate pioneer flights, as they carry a greater flight risk. After a meeting in Jakarta regarding an incident involving a Cessna Grand Caravan on Wednesday (23/11/2011), during which an aircraft belonging to Susi Air crashed into Mount Wabu, Papua, Kompas asked Susi Air owner Susi Pudjiastuti why she still wanted to fly to Papua. Susi replied at the time: “Because not many other people want to. If we [Susi Air] don’t fly there, how will its residents travel? What happens if there are sick people that need to be evacuated?”

The Pilatus PC-6 originally had a mission to evacuate 15 infrastructure workers from Paro. The workers were tasked with building a Puskesmas (community health center) that would serve the residents of Paro district. However, due to constant threats from a KKB, they decided to leave Nduga.

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We are now hoping that security forces can free Mehrtens. It would be even better if he were released through efforts at dialogue. It must be said that Mehrtens’ release would have been a logical move following the irrational burning of the plane.

Meanwhile, we hope that, in future, there will be no more arson incidents involving planes, airports or other transportation infrastructure or facilities. Burning transportation infrastructure, for whatever reason, only denies the public interest and brings misery to the people. Moreover, the issues in Papua must be resolved peacefully.

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.