A Garuda Indonesia aircraft that was departing from an airport in North Sumatra has aborted its take-off on the runway, leading to a three-hour closure of the airport.
The Boeing 737-400, bound for Jakarta with 134 passengers on board, was preparing for its take-off at Medan's Polonia airport at 09:22 when the incident happened.
"The pilot felt the [aircraft] shudder, which was abnormal, and he decided to not continue with the take-off," says a Garuda spokesman. He says the aircraft's tyre deflated during the incident.
No one was injured and all passengers disembarked from the aircraft, says the spokesman.
Because the aircraft was stranded on the runway and required a change of tyres, the airport was closed for more than three hours, he adds. It reopened at 14:00 after the aircraft was moved.
Garuda is investigating the incident and the aircraft is still at the Medan airport, says the spokesman.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
