Husband of woman in Indonesia who died falling down lift shaft files report against airport operator

JAKARTA: A man whose wife died after falling through a lift shaft at Kualanamu Airport in North Sumatra, Indonesia and whose body was only discovered several days later filed a police report on Tuesday (May 2) against six companies, including state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II, for negligence. 

According to the Jakarta Globe, Mr Ahmad Faisal filed the report against two of Angkasa Pura II subsidiaries - Angkasa Pura Aviasi and Angkasa Pura Solusi.

The police report also included GMR Airports Consortium, which helps manage Kualanamu Airport. The consortium is made up of India’s GMR Group and France’s Aéroports de Paris. The two firms were also included in the police report. 

“We have filed a report against six companies in total ... We hope to take legal action that is in accordance with the Indonesian laws,” lawyer Indra Posan Sihombing reportedly told reporters at the police’s criminal investigation department building in Jakarta on Tuesday. 

The Jakarta Globe had earlier reported that the body of Mr Ahmad Faisal’s wife, Aisiah Sinta Dewi Hasibuan, was found under the lift on the first floor of Kualanamu Airport last Thursday, three days after she was reported missing. 

Ms Aisiah had allegedly called a relative when she was trapped but the call got disconnected, local media reported. 

CCTV footage posted online showed that the door behind Ms Aisiah had opened, though she did not appear to notice. The lift she was in was a double-sided one. 

Ms Aisiah was then seen touching and getting closer to the door in front of her before it opened and she fell through the gap. 

Her brother, Raja Hasibuan, said that the family had asked the airport management to check the closed-circuit television (CCTV) after Ms Aisiah went missing but the management had refused, citing procedure. 

According to the Jakarta Post, Mr Raja said that his family was also not allowed to check the lift’s CCTV footage. 

Following the incident, Angkasa Pura Aviasi’s Head of Communications Dedi Al Subur said that the firm is improving its operating procedures at Kualanamu Airport to better the safety, security, and service at the airport. 

According to Kumparan, Mr Dedi in a statement on Monday said that signs inside the double-sided lift will be increased and that safety aspects will be improved. 

Surveillance through CCTV will also be carried out by aviation security personnel more strictly.

Mr Dedi added that improvements were also made regarding the maintenance of airport facilities and signs at other facilities.

"We ask for the support of the community and various stakeholders so that Kualanamu Airport operations can run even better in serving the wider community," said Mr Dedi, as quoted by Kumparan. 

Prior to this, the airport had reportedly denied that the lift where Ms Aisiah’s body was found was often damaged. 

"For the lift that became a crime scene and all lifts that are at Kualanamu Airport, routine maintenance and maintenance are always carried out … daily, weekly and monthly," Mr Dedi told Kumparan on Saturday.

According to a report by the Jakarta Post, Deli Serdang Police chief Irsan Suhaji said that the police have questioned several people including members of aviation security, airport management and technicians, but they have yet to name any suspects. 

“We are looking into whether negligence led to the victim’s fall,” Mr Irsan reportedly said.