Haze disrupts flights at Palangka Raya Airport as visibility falls

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2 hours ago

Palangka Raya, C Kalimantan (ANTARA) – Angkasa Pura Indonesia, operator of Tjilik Riwut Airport in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, said flights were operating according to actual conditions as haze from forest and land fires persisted.

“Flight safety and security are our top priorities. All operational decisions consider visibility and the minimum operational limits for flights,” Angkasa Pura Indonesia spokesman Andi Wiguna said here Thursday.

The airport operator is regularly monitoring visibility and coordinating with AirNav Indonesia, airlines, ground handling companies and other relevant stakeholders to ensure safe flight operations.

Decisions on departures, arrivals, delays and cancellations continue to take into account weather conditions and applicable flight safety regulations.

On Wednesday (September 30), haze from forest and land fires affected visibility around Tjilik Riwut Airport, disrupting flight operations.

Visibility began declining in the morning and fell to a low of 300 meters several times between 10 a.m. and noon local time, below minimum operational requirements for certain flights.

As weather conditions improved, visibility rose to 1,000 meters at 2 p.m., 1,500 meters at 3 p.m. and 6,000 meters by 7 p.m., he said.

Garuda Indonesia flight GA 550 from Jakarta to Palangka Raya was canceled because visibility fell below the minimum operational limit, he said.

Lion Air flight JT 680 from Surabaya to Palangka Raya was delayed, arriving at 4:38 p.m. instead of 2:45 p.m. as it waited for visibility to improve.

Batik Air flight ID 6200 from Jakarta to Palangka Raya was also delayed while awaiting visibility conditions at Tjilik Riwut Airport to meet minimum operational requirements.

Delays to arriving flights affected subsequent departures, with Lion Air JT 681 to Surabaya and Batik Air ID 6201 to Jakarta rescheduling their departure times.

The airport operator urged passengers to monitor the latest airline updates and allow extra time to reach the airport amid possible schedule changes caused by the conditions.