Lion Air dropped passengers at wrong terminal: Indonesia

File photo of two Lion Air planes. (Photo: AFP/Files/Adek Berry)

JAKARTA: Indonesia's Transport Ministry on Saturday (May 14) confirmed that the country's budget carrier Lion Air wrongly disembarked passengers from its international flight at the domestic terminal of the Soekarno-Hatta airport on Tuesday evening, according to state media Antara News.

"It's true that the incident happened. There was a mishandling from the ground crew of Lion Air, "said Hemi Pamuranhardjo, Head of the Communication and Information Bureau, Transport Ministry.

Passengers of Lion Air flight JT161 from Singapore to Jakarta were dropped off at the airport's Terminal 1 instead of Terminal 2.

Mr Hemi explained that Lion Air flight JT161 from Singapore was positioned at apron R51, and there was another Lion Air aircraft that had just landed from Padang parked at apron R56.

"The airport bus driver ferried passengers from Singapore, thinking they were from Padang. When he realised that the passengers were from an international flight, it was too late because the passengers had already exited from Terminal 1," said Mr Hemi.

However, Lion Air said passengers of JT161 who were dropped off at the domestic terminal were instructed to board the bus again and brought to the international Terminal 2.

Passengers arriving at the domestic terminal do not need to go through immigration.

Authorities will be meeting the parties involved in the incident on Sunday as part of their investigations.

Mr Hemi added: "The Transport Ministry will issue sanctions to those responsible for this negligence."

Source: Lion Air dropped passengers at wrong terminal: Indonesia