Passenger Families of Missing Aviastar Plane Flock in Airport

Makassar, S Sulawesi, Oct 2 (ANTARA Lampung) - The passenger families of Aviastar plane that went missing during a flight from Masamba to Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Friday have flocked at the security office of the Sultan Hasanuddin Airport here.

Zulkarnain, who is the family of a passenger Nurul Fatimah said that his coming to the airport security office was to seek latest information about the missing plane.

According to him, Nurul Fatimah is an employee of the Andi Jemma airport in Masamba, South Sulawesi.

Chief of Air Transport Security Authority and Airworthiness of the Sultan Hasanuddin Airport Agus Sasongko said here on Friday that a joint-team will start searching the ill-fated plane.

Sasongko further said that the joint-team comprising among others national rescue agency, military personnel and community.

People who have information about the missing plane can contact Crisis Centre of the Aviastar at number 021-8626789 or the Angkasa Pura Crisis Centre at  0411-3656000, or contact person at  085391919178 on behalf of Hary.

The Aviastar plane with seven passengers on board went missing during a flight from Masamba to Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Friday afternoon, a transport ministry official has said.

"The passengers include four adults, one child and two babies," the director general of air transportation, Suprasetyo said at a press conference.

He said the passengers were known as Nurul Fatimah, Lisa Falentin, Risa Arman, Sakhi Arqam, Muhammad Natsir, Arif (baby) and Raya (baby).

He said the plane was piloted by Captain Iriafriadi with Yudhistira as co-pilot. It also carried technician Soekris Winarto as a technician on board.

According to weather report  visibility at the time was nine kilometer with winds speed at 260/05 KT.

At 14.25 Central Indonesia Time the plane took off from Andi Jemma airport in Masamba, South Sulawesi, to Makassar which is an hour and 10 minutes flight away.

The plane with flight number MV 7503 was supposed to arrive at Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province, at 15.39 p.m. but it lost contact at 14.33 p.m.

The plane belongs to the Aviastar airline.