Over the skies of Jakarta, pilot Aleksandr Yablonstev requested permission to the Halim Perdanakusumah air traffic control (ATC) tower to climb to an altitude of 10,000 feet. Controllers gave him authorization after receiving approval from the control tower at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta.

The 57-year-old Russian pilot raised the Sukhoi Superjet 100s altitude until it penetrated the clouds. This was Yablonstevs second radio contact after he r