Forest Fire haze disrupts 10 flights at West Kalimantan airport

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4 hours ago

Pontianak, W Kalimantan (ANTARA) – Forest and land fire haze has once again disrupted operations at Supadio International Airport in West Kalimantan, forcing the rescheduling of 10 flights on Monday morning.

Acting General Manager of Supadio International Airport Mohamad Arifin said on Monday that airport management was forced to adjust flight schedules due to severely reduced visibility around the facility.

He noted that visibility over the past week had fluctuated significantly due to thick haze generated by forest and land fires in the region.

According to the Supadio Meteorological Station, visibility during the morning and evening dropped below 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) before gradually improving to more than 2,000 meters during the day.

“The affected flights include Scoot’s international routes between Singapore and Pontianak, as well as Lion Air’s Pontianak-Surabaya route and several Super Air Jet flights,” Arifin said.

Additional domestic flights, including a Wings Air route to Ketapang and several Batik Air and Super Air Jet flights traveling to and from Jakarta, also underwent schedule adjustments.

Arifin emphasized that passenger safety, security, and comfort remain the top priorities in flight operations amid the environmental disruption.

“We continue to monitor visibility conditions at the airport. Cross-agency coordination with relevant stakeholders is running smoothly to ensure all aviation safety procedures are strictly met,” he said.

Airport authorities are continuously coordinating with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), AirNav Indonesia, various airlines, as well as local disaster mitigation and law enforcement agencies to monitor visibility conditions.

Flight schedules will continue to be adjusted in strict accordance with the minimum visibility limits required for safe takeoffs and landings.

“PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia advises prospective passengers to double-check their flight status with their respective airlines or airport officials before heading to the airport,” Arifin concluded.

Angkasa Pura is Indonesia’s state-owned airport operator.