Heart‑Shattering Loss at Palu Airport
When the 7.5‑magnitude quake rattled Central Sulawesi on Friday night, a 21‑year‑old air traffic controller was still keeping the skies clear for a Batik Air flight. Tragically, he never got to leave his tower.
Who Was He?
- Name: Anthonius Gunawan Agung
- Age: 21
- Role: Flight navigation service tech at AirNav Indonesia, Palu branch
- Last Duty: ATC at Mutiara SIS Al‑Jufrie airport during the quake
Right after clearing a Batik Air aircraft for take‑off, the tremors hit. While he was still in the cabin tower, the quake intensified and the four‑storey tower shook like a top‑hat. Anthonius was forced to leap, and the fall left him with a broken leg and other internal injuries. He passed away while waiting to be air‑lifted by helicopter.
As the Earth Shook
More than 300 lives were lost in the disaster, and a 3‑metre tsunami slammed into the coast, wrecking thousands of buildings. The quake also took a heavy toll on the Palu airport runway—about 250 m out of 2,250 m was damaged.
AirNav’s Rapid Response
- Deployed an 11‑person crew from the Makassar branch: ATC staff and communication engineers.
- Marked a 2,000‑m stretch of undamaged tarmac for emergency aircraft and rescue teams.
- Resumed operations at Mutiara SIS Al‑Jufrie but limited flights to emergencies, search and rescue, and humanitarian aid.
Commercial flights are slated to pick up again on October 4, per AirNav’s latest flight notification.
What Happens Next?
Mr. Yohanes Harry Sirait, the AirNav spokesperson, announced that Anthonius’s body will be flown to Makassar and then home to Abepura, Papua, where his family is ready to welcome him back—even if it’s a sobering welcome. He also sent heartfelt condolences to all victims and their families.
While the central government is rushing aid to the hardest hit areas and continuing recovery efforts, the story reminds us that even in the most modern hubs, the earth can still surprise you—in ways you never imagined.
