The Indonesian Shippers Council (Depalindo) has called on Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi, through the Directorate General of Air Transportation, to conduct a thorough audit of TransNusa Airlines.

The airline is accused of abandoning passengers for nearly 11 hours during a flight from Soekarno-Hatta Airport to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on December 28, 2024, flight number 8B673.

Depalindo’s Chairperson Toto Dirgantoro, who was also one of the affected passengers, expressed deep disappointment with the airline's service.

He highlighted the lack of compensation, as required by Ministry of Transportation regulations, and the absence of a clear explanation from the airline's staff or management regarding the extensive delay.

"There were elderly passengers and children who were affected by this incident, which led to unavoidable arguments between passengers and airline staff. The flight was scheduled to depart at 11:00 WIB but was delayed until 20:00 WIB. This delay far exceeded reasonable expectations and was absolutely excessive," Toto said in a press statement on Monday, December 30, 2024.

In response to this incident, Depalindo has pledged to send a formal letter to the Minister of Transportation and Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives, urging an immediate audit of TransNusa Airlines.

Toto also called for the Ministry of Transportation to consider grounding or revoking the airline's operating license, as a deterrent to other airlines that neglect their responsibilities to customers.

“We will report this incident to the police because this constitutes a breach of public service obligations by the airline,” he added.

Photo: Toto Dirgantoro protests against TransNusa Airlines at Soekarno Hatta Airport on Saturday, December 28, 2024