Indonesia Cancels All Flights to Wuhan Related to Coronavirus Outbreak

News24xx.com - The Ministry of Transportation has announced a temporary suspension of all flights to and from Wuhan operated by Indonesian airlines amid the outbreak of diseases such as pneumonia, caused by the new corona virus that was first detected in December 2019 in the Chinese city.

Sriwijaya Air and Lion Air in Indonesia have canceled their flights to Wuhan after the issuance of Chinese notifications to flight crews (NOTAM).

NOTAM said that Wuhan International Airport will be closed, except emergency flights, starting January 23 at 6 pm. Western Indonesia Time (WIB) until February 2 at 10:59 p.m. WIB

All flights from Indonesia to Wuhan will be diverted to other cities in China, a ministry statement said.

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"We coordinate closely with all airlines in Indonesia to anticipate the possibility of spreading the corona virus in Indonesia via [international flights]," Director General of Civil Aviation Polana B. Pramesti said in a statement.

He added that the directorate general had issued a circular to all airlines on January 20 requiring the distribution of public advisory cards to quarantine staff at the airport arrival gate, reporting every passenger suspected of being infected to air traffic officers, distributing health advisory cards to all arriving passengers from the affected country and urges passengers who have traveled to the affected country to report suspected infection to airport officials.

"We urge all air travel stakeholders to remain vigilant and increase their preparedness in anticipating [coronavirus] through air travel, because the health, safety and comfort of all passengers is our shared responsibility," Polana said.

Lion Air Group Malaysia's subsidiary, Malindo Air, issued a statement on January 23 that they would suspend all flights connecting Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Wuhan International Airport until further notice. All passengers who have booked tickets on flights between January 23 and February 8 are advised to contact the airlines to adjust their flights, the statement added.
 
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Malaysia's low-cost airline, AirAsia, also issued a statement on Thursday that it would temporarily cancel all flights to Wuhan that depart from Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia and Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand until January 28, kompas.com reported.

China imposed a lockdown on Thursday which effectively banned 20 million people from leaving areas at the center of the spread of the deadly virus by plane and train, in an unprecedented move aimed at curbing diseases that had spread to other countries, AFP reported.

At least 18 people have died of the virus, which has similarities with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), since he emerged from a market in Wuhan in December. It has infected hundreds and spread to other countries, including Thailand, Japan and Singapore.

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