JAKARTA - Angkasa Pura Airports ensured services and operational activities Ambon Pattimura Airport still running normally. Management's decision to continue operating and providing services as usual was taken based on the result of damage assessment and inspection of airside and landside facilities of Pattimura Ambon Airport conducted since Tuesday (31/10) night until Wednesday (1/11) morning.
"Based on the assessment that has been done and full confidence in BMKG analysis and prediction, the operational activities and services of Pattimura Ambon Airport are still running as usual," Wendo Asrul Rose said, The Operations Director Angkasa Pura Airports. Damage assessment is the stage that is done after a natural disaster, including earthquake, to assess the feasibility of airport facilities to operate. This phase is part of the Airport Disaster Management Plan (ADMP) procedure developed by Angkasa Pura Airports to anticipate the impact of disasters on airport service activities and its recovery.
As previously known, the earthquake occurred with the epicenter of approximately 38 km to 50 km southwest of Ambon island between the hours of 18.31 WIT to 19.37 WIT with intensity between 5.2 SR to 6.2 SR as much as 6 times on 31 October 2017 and followed by a series others with a smaller intensity from early morning until morning 1 November 2017. This earthquake was also felt in the environment Pattimura International Airport.
This earthquake also caused minor damage at several points, both at the airport terminal and Pattimura Airport administration office. Some damages in the airport area are a bit of a precarious terminal that fall off, a little ceiling on the arrival lane and the departure of the falling air side, broken glass tower, and inscriptions in the broken Gate 3. However, such minor damage does not cause significant interruption to the operational continuity of Pattimura Airport so airport service will continue as usual.
Related to the minor damage, the current management of Pattimura Ambon Airport is still making improvements. "Repairs to minor damage due to force majeur events is still done and will last for some time to come. We apologize to passengers and prospective passengers of the aircraft for the inconvenience caused by this repair activity, "said Wendo. In connection with the possibility of aftershocks, Angkasa Pura Airports appealed to service users to remain calm while alert while in the airport environment. "We urge that in an emergency situation while in the Pattimura Airport environment, service users always follow our officers' directions in the field and take the time to find out the evacuation routes and gathering points around Pattimura Airport neighborhood," Wendo said. [DR]
