Bouraq almost clips its wing

PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: A plane belonging to the private carrier Bouraq had a close shave with disaster when its wing sideswiped the runway as it taxied down on a flight from Jakarta on Monday.

One of the propellers of the Viscer Viscount plane was damaged after the bumpy landing, but the 64 passengers aboard flight BO 210/121 barely noticed the incident and were unharmed, the Antara news agency reported.

The plane was sent back to Jakarta empty for repairs.

Bouraq also announced that this marked the last flight to Pontianak from Jakarta for the time being because the thick haze around the town has made flying hazardous.

The state-owned Merpati Nusantara Airlines, which flies jets to Pontianak, has already stopped virtually all its flight services in Kalimantan. (emb)