Lion Air Grounds Flight, Passenger Holds Sit-In Protest

Angry that the Bali-bound flight from Jakarta was canceled due to ‘technical issues’, the man implored fellow passengers to occupy the plane.

A traveler on a recent Lion Air plane held a sit-in protest after his flight was canceled, the Daily Mail reports. The incident occurred on October 2 after the Bali-bound flight from Jakarta missed its take-off slot due to what the carrier said were ‘technical issues’ on the Boeing 737 aircraft.

Though the airport at Bali had already closed for the night, passengers were still allowed to board the flight but were then subsequently told that they would need to deplane. However, at this point, an unnamed male passenger stood in the aisle of the craft and began a verbal tirade. He then rallied his fellow passengers in a mass protest that would eventually see police board the plane.

In a transcript of the Indonesian-language video clip, as quoted by the outlet, he says, “If we get off the plane it’s not going anywhere tonight. Lion Air will not fly us at all. There is a reason they want us to leave. Now we are in charge of this plane.”

“We will occupy this plane, ask for food, ask for anything. If we stand together we can do it. If we sit in the airport what guarantees do we have?” he adds.

Some passengers, eager to show their support, voiced their assent. Despite this, local police and airport security eventually boarded the flight and escorted all passengers off of the plane. All were offered accommodation for the night and were put on a second flight to Bali the following morning.

Rama Ditya Handoko, PR manager for the carrier, confirmed the incident, saying, “This happened on October 2, 2017, night at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. The plane initially experienced a delay for technical reasons with the flight.”

“The airline was forced to delay the plane’s departure that night and the destination airport was closed. The rights of the disadvantaged passengers have been fulfilled in accordance with the Minister of Transportation Regulation,” Handoko added.

The fate of the lone protester is not known.

[Photo: Shutterstock]