Summary

  • A Boeing 747 was forced to return to Makassar after one of its engines emitted streaks of flames during takeoff.
  • There were 468 people on board flying to Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
  • Garuda Indonesia provided accommodation for passengers while waiting for a replacement aircraft.

On May 15, 2024, a Boeing 747 operating a Hajj flight for Garuda Indonesia was forced to return to Makassar, Indonesia, after streaks of flames were seen coming from one of its engines. The aircraft landed safely at the airport, with all passengers unharmed.

A safe landing at Makassar Airport

The Boeing 747-400 was operating flight GA1105 from Indonesia’s Makassar Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport (UPG) to Medina Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Airport (MED) in Saudi Arabia. There were 468 people onboard, including 450 passengers and 18 crew members. The flight was reportedly carrying the fifth group of Hajj pilgrims.

As reported by the Aviation Herald, the jumbo was rotating for departure from runway 21 when the number 4 engine emitted a loud bang followed by streaks of flames. The flight crew proceeded to take off and climbed to a safe altitude before returning to Makassar Airport for a safe landing at about 17:15 local time. Garuda Indonesia President and CEO Irfan Setiaputra confirmed the incident, saying,

“The decision was made by the pilot in command immediately after takeoff, considering engine problems that required further examination after sparks of fire were observed in one of the engines.”

Garuda Indonesia Boeing 747

According to Channel News Asia, the passengers and crew were provided accommodation while waiting for a replacement aircraft to take them to Medina. Flightradar24 shows a flight GA1105, operated by another aircraft, departing Makassar at 22:02 and arriving in Medina at 03:51 local time. Garuda Indonesia was not available for comment at the time of publishing.

Airlifting Hajj pilgrims from Indonesia

Earlier this year, Garuda Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs to regularly transport Hajj pilgrims. The national carrier was expected to airlift over 109,000 pilgrims and Hajj officers. They will be divided into 294 groups from nine locations, including Makassar, where the May 15 incident occurred, as well as Jakarta, Medan, and Padang.

The Boeing 747 involved in the incident was one of 14 planes to be deployed by Garuda Indonesia for the Hajj operations. The aircraft, with registration ER-BOS, is wet-leased from Moldovan charter airline Terra Avia. It was built in October 2001 and first delivered to Singapore Airlines as 9V-SPQ. According to ch-aviation, the quadjet had accumulated 54,193 flight hours across 6,839 cycles at the time of last measure (February 2016).

Garuda Indonesia Airlines Airbus A330 airliner taking off from Sydney Airport

Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock

Garuda Indonesia received the aircraft in May 2024. The airline has another 747-400 wet-leased from Terra Avia, with registration ER-TRV. It was built in May 2001 and also delivered to Singapore Airlines. Garuda took it up in May 2024, and it has also been operating flights between Makassar and Medina. Last year, the airline leased an Airbus A330 for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Just over a month ago, Garuda released its 2023 results. The groups carried 19.98 million passengers throughout the year, with Garuda Indonesia airlifting 8.29 million passengers and Citilink carrying 11.68 million. The figures represented a 34% increase compared to the previous year. To meet the high demand, the group plans to add eight new aircraft in 2024, excluding additional aircraft leased for the Hajj season.

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