All flights originating from countries confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having swine flu cases will be sprayed with disinfectant upon arrival at Ngurah Rai International Airport, a top government official said Saturday.
"We will spray the plane and passengers as part of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of swine flu to the island," said Harry Bakti, the Transportation Ministry's director general of aviation.
He added similar procedures would be implemented at all international airports across the country. Currently, Indonesia has 10 airports serving international flights.
"The necessary equipment *to implement the precautionary measures* have been prepared at those airports," he said.
"We will carry out the precautionary measures to the best of our ability to prevent the disease from entering Indonesia."
Cathay Pacific flight CX 875 became the first flight to undergo the measure at Ngurah Rai International Airport. It flew in from Hong Kong, one of the 11 countries declared by the WHO as having recorded a positive case of swine flu.
The flight landed in Bali on Saturday at 3 p.m. local time with 363 passengers on board.
Immediately after touching down, the flight was escorted to a special docking area, where it was sprayed with disinfectant. Later on, medical workers boarded the aircraft and checked the condition of the passengers and crew.
"Any passengers with suspicious health symptoms will be escorted to the airport's quarantine facility," Harry said.
"Fortunately, none of this flight's passengers exhibited such symptoms."
Each passenger was then required to fill out a health alertness card with information of their permanent address in Hong Kong and their temporary address during their stay in Bali.
Upon entering the airport terminal, each passenger was required to pass through a disinfectant chamber and thermal scanner. The procedure has significantly slowed the flow of passengers and created long queues. The passengers, however, apparently understood the need for the procedure.
General manager of state airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I overseeing the airport, Heru Legowo, said two other airlines served the Denpasar-Hong Kong route: Garuda Indonesia and Hong Kong Express.
"There are no direct flights to other affected countries," he said.
