REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Transportation Ministry has suspended Batik Air's permit for the Cengkareng-Yogyakarta flight route for 90 days after an aircraft belonging to the airline skidded at Yogyakarta's airport on Friday.

"We will suspend the flight slot for a maximum of 90 days and study why it skidded," Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan said.

He said he would summon the pilot concerned and ask the National Committee for Transportation Safety (KNKT) to investigate the incident.

"We will summon the pilot to ask why the plane skidded and other questions," the minister said.

He said that the weather was not a significant factor in the incident. "If it was raining and 10 planes had skidded, we would have checked if the runway was slippery or what. But in this case, only one (plane) skidded. This was a serious incident and we would summon the pilot," he said.

Jonan said if it is proven later that the runway was slippery, he would ask the airport's operator PT Angkasa Pura to repair it.

"Should a plane have to skid every day? There are 800 flights everyday with 1,800 movements," he said.

Yogyakarta's Adisutjipto airport remained open despite the incident.

Lion Group public relations manager Andy M Saladin said the airport remained operational, serving flights from and to the city.

Lion Group's Batik Air Boeing 737-800NG, piloted by Captain Oscar Mirza with Dana Aviantar as co-pilot and five cabin crew, skidded while landing at the airport on Friday.

The plane carried 161 passengers, including two children and an infant, on board but no passenger had been hurt in the incident.

Andy said the front wheel of the aircraft had skidded off the runway while the rear wheels were still on the runway when the aircraft came to a stop.

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