“Today, Garuda sent a letter to the airport chief in Timika in reply to the latter’s letter yesterday. It stated that Garuda suspend flights to Timika until it receives a fuel supply guarantee for Garuda,” Garuda spokesman Pujobroto told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

As a commercial airliner, he said, Garuda holds an International Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) requiring its destination cities to assure fuel supply and reserve fuel.

Some 140 Garuda passengers waited more than four hours at the Moses Kilangin Airport in Timika, on Sunday, because airport authorities rejected to supply fuel to the aircraft.

On the same day, airport authorities also sent a letter to Garuda to announce the fuel shortage, saying the fuel supply for Garuda would be suspended for an undefined period.

The fuel supply rejection followed Garuda’s refusal to transport Freeport executives from Jayapura to Timika on the same day.

Pujobroto explained that Garuda pilot Manotar Napitupulu did not allow Freeport president of director Armando Mahler and several other executives to board the aircraft because they were not included on the passenger list and the aircraft was full.

“When the Freeport executives asked the plane to take them to Timika, the pilot rejected them as the plane was fully booked,” he said.

He said that the Freeport executives were booked on the following GA 653 flight.

He said that the aircraft, en route from Jakarta to Timika through Jayapura, was transporting  a total
of 140 passengers with Timika as their destination.

“The Garuda pilot was compelled to divert the plane route to Jayapura due to bad weather,” he added.

Upon its arrival in Timika, the aircraft had to refuel to continue its flight from Timika back to Jakarta.

Freeport spokesman Mindo Pangaribuan refuted claims by Garuda Indonesia, saying the airport was short of fuel during Christmas and New Year’s.

Mindo also argued it was untrue Armando Mahler insisted the Garuda pilot allow him and other Freeport executives to board the plane to take them to Timika from Jayapura.

“It is incorrect,” Mindo told tempointeraktif.com on Monday.

Pujobroto said that the airport was informed about fuel shortage on Jan. 3 when the Boeing 737-400 Garuda aircraft was at the Timika airport.

“This is the first ever incident at the airport,” he said.

Director general of civil aviation at the Transportation Ministry, Herry Bakti Singa Gumay, said that the office had summoned Freeport management to obtain clarification on the incident.

“The Freeport executives will arrive Tuesday,” he said.

The incident met strong criticism from the House of Representatives, with a call for the Transportation Ministry to take action against Freeport, considered as arrogant.

Legislator Akbar Faisal said that Freeport’s reasons for resisting fuel was weak.

“The reasons are illogical. The airport must obey the role [of aviation],” he said.

Another legislator Yudi Widiana Adia said that the House of Representatives Commission V on transportation affairs would also summon the Transportation Minister, Freddy Numberi, to discuss the
incident.

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