Ulma Haryanto & Eras Poke – As the drama continues over a recent display of supposed arrogance by a lawmaker involved in an argument over an airplane seat, flight experts have pointed out that one crucial aspect of the incident has been neglected – a serious security breach.

The question at hand is how two people managed to be seated on a flight they did not have tickets for.

The breach occurred on Saturday when a Twitter user identified as Ernest said he and a friend had boarded a 6:15 a.m. Lion Air flight to Yogyakarta only to find their seats occupied by Democratic Party lawmaker Roy Suryo and his wife.

When flight attendants checked their tickets, it turned out that Roy and his wife were booked for the 7:45 a.m. flight. Roy eventually left the plane, escorted by a group of airport officers.

The lawmaker explained the next day that he had been escorted by ground staff from the check-in counter directly to the 6:15 a.m. flight.

Edward Sirait, general manager of Lion Air, declined to confirm Roy's version of events, and said instead that the lawmaker might have misheard the boarding announcement and headed for the gate.

Edward, however, said the carrier's employees bore responsibility for allowing Roy to board the incorrect flight. "There is also a possibility that our officers did not thoroughly check Roy's boarding pass," Edward said.

Ground crews, he said, are required to check each passenger's flight number, seat number, destination and boarding time. "We already closed the case. [The conclusion is that] our officers had mishandled the situation."

Edward also said that the employees responsible for the security breach would be sanctioned, but details had yet to be decided. Dudi Sudibyo, an aviation industry observer, blamed the carrier for the confusion.

"The company has to find out how could this happen. Was there really an insider at the airline responsible for escorting Roy and his wife onto that flight [without the necessary checks]?" Dudi said.

"People were lucky that it was only Roy Suryo and not someone with bad intent. This is the first time I've heard of such a security breach. This should never have happened."

Pudjobroto, a spokesman for national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, said it performed a number of security checks to ensure only ticketed customers were allowed onto its aircraft.

"Before boarding our officers would check whether the passenger's name is indeed on the list, and that is then check-marked," he said. Passengers are also required to produce an identification card to be cross-checked with their boarding pass prior to setting foot on the plane.

Separately on Wednesday, hundreds of Batavia Air passengers fed up with their flight being delayed for two days became physically and verbally aggressive toward airport officials in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.

The disruption, witnessed by a Jakarta Globe reporter, occurred in the morning after roughly 300 passengers scheduled to fly to Waingapu and Maumere districts two days earlier stormed the runway at El Tari airport in protest.

Passengers said they were angry at the airline's lack of communication in keeping them abreast of the delay and when it would be over.

El Tari airport officials and workers reported being pushed, shoved and insulted by members of the angry mob Batavia Air district manager Novianto denied allegations that the airline had neglected its passengers. He cited bad weather as the reason for the delay. Flights resumed on Wednesday afternoon.