Garuda plane fails to take off

TANGERANG: A Garuda Indonesia airplane bound for Makassar, South Sulawesi and Manado, North Sulawesi, failed to take off at the Soekarno Hatta International Airport on Tuesday morning, causing a two-hour delay.

A staff member of Garuda Operation Control Center, Abdul Madjid, could not explain why the plane failed to take off, but admitted that as the pilot started the engine, the plane reversed and thick smoke came out of its rear.

The Boeing 737-400 plane with registration number PK-GWY was scheduled to fly at 9:50 a.m. with 101 passengers comprising 97 adults, one child and three infants.

The passengers were finally able to fly at about 12 a.m. after the company provided another Boeing 737 plane. -- JP