Lion Air Plane That Crashed Is A New Model And Had Only Been In Use For Less Than 3 Months
Lion Air flight JT610 was carrying 189 people when it crashed into the sea on Monday, 29 October.
By Samantha Khor — 29 Oct 2018, 05:29 PM
189 people on board Lion Air flight JT610 are feared to have died after the plane crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff on Monday morning, 29 October
The plane took off from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 6.21am local time and was scheduled to land at around 7.30am in Pangkal Pinang. However, 13 minutes into the flight, authorities lost contact with the plane.
Officials later confirmed that the plane, which carried 178 passengers and 12 crew members, had crashed into the Java Sea. The Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency also confirmed that no survivors have been found.
While the cause of the crash has yet to be determined, an Indonesian official revealed that the plane was a new model and had only been in use for less than three months
CNN reported that Soerjanto Tjahjono, head of the National Transport Safety Committee (NTSC), told a press conference in Jakarta that the Indonesian low-cost airline acquired the Boeing 727 Max 8 in 8 August 2018. The plane began operating on 15 August and had only flown 800 hours.
According to The Guardian, the model of the ill-fated Lion Air plane is a variant of the Boeing 737 Max Series - the fastest selling model in the airplane manufacturer's history - and is said to be the "world's most reliable airplane"
The Guardian reported that the 737 Max 8 model was first operated by Malindo Air in May 2017 but has since been purchased by airlines across the world, including Malaysia Airlines, Korean Air, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Silkair.
Lion Air Group CEO Edward Sirait later revealed that the plane that crashed today reported "a technical issue" on Sunday night, 28 October after its previous flight. However, he said that it had been "resolved according to procedure".
"This plane previously flew from Denpasar to Jakarta. There was a report of a technical issue which had been resolved according to procedure," Sirait said, as quoted by The Guardian, though he did not specify what the "issue" was.
Sirait added that Lion Air has 11 units of the same model and none in the fleet exhibited the same problem. He also said that the company has no plans to ground the remaining 737 Max 8 planes.