Garuda forced to return to base

DENPASAR, Bali: Fifty minutes after take off, Garuda flight number GA-403 bound for Jakarta was forced to return to Ngurah Rai Airport due to engine trouble on Monday.

Suandi, acting station manager for Garuda Indonesia at Ngurah Rai Airport, confirmed the incident, saying: "The DC-10 plane had to return to base due to a leak in pneumatic system 1."

The leak forced the pilot to turn off two of the air conditioners in the cabin, he said. "As a result, the cabin pressure dropped. Due to this the plane failed to reach an ideal altitude," he said.

The plane, piloted by A. Marzani, was supposed to fly at a height of 35,000 feet, but the plane reach only 14,000 feet, Suandi added. "Flying at low altitude uses more fuel."

"For the sake of passengers' safety, the aircraft had to return to base," Suandi said. The plane was carrying 183 passengers.

Forty-four of the passengers were then transferred to another plane which proceeded to Jakarta at 10:20, while the others were willing to spend two hours waiting for the plane to be repaired.

A disgruntled passenger said that none of Garuda personnel apologized for the delay. (zen/sur)