Virgin Australia Pilots' Action Was Correct: IAW

By Maria Rosari Jakarta (Antara) - Chief of Indonesia Aviation Watch John Brata said the action taken by the Virgin Australia pilots, due to a report of a hijacking attempt, was correct. "The action that they took was correct since it was for the sake of the passengers' safety," John told Antara here on Friday. John explained that every airplane is equipped with a transponder and codes to send signals to the Air Traffic Controller (ATC). "The pilots' decision to send a signal to the ATC through the transponder was in compliance with standard procedure, and the ATC staff received it as a hijacking signal," John said. Previously, the pilots of Virgin Australia Airlines flying from Brisbane to Bali reported a hijacking attempt on that airplane after an intoxicated and aggressively behaved passenger banged on the door of the cockpit trying to get in. However, a Virgin Australia Airlines official said there had been no attempt to hijack the aircraft. "If it was really a hijacking attempt, then the action taken by the pilots was correct. But sadly, they did not respond when the ATC staff was trying to confirm the hijacking," John said. While the VA41 flight did lose communication with the ATC, the pilots did not answer the ATC's call. As quoted from Reuters, the drunken passenger identified as Matt Christopher is a 28-year-old Australian. The police arrested him shortly after the airplane landed in Bali, and he is currently being interrogated by police officers in Bali. (*)