Arya News - Flights across Indonesia`s Sumatra have been delayed, rescheduled, diverted or forced to return to their departure airports – as thickening haze pushed visibility below safe levels.
PEKANBARU/MEDAN – Worsening haze from forest and land fires forced airlines to delay and divert multiple flights across Sumatra in the past few days as visibility plummeted and air quality hit hazardous levels.
Five flights at Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport in Palembang were delayed on Thursday morning because of poor visibility caused by the haze, the airport’s general manager, Ahmad Syaugi Sahab, said.
The affected flights included three departures to Jakarta and Pangkalpinang in the Bangka Belitung Islands, and two arrivals from Yogyakarta and Jakarta.
“Visibility at the airport fell below the minimum operational threshold of 600 meters this morning because of the haze, so we had to delay several departures and arrivals to ensure the safety of passengers and flight crews,” Ahmad said, according to Indonesian news outlet Detik.com.
The disruption came just days after haze affected 18 flights at the airport on Oct. 3, when visibility also fell below the minimum level required for flight operations.
In Pekanbaru, Riau province, two flights from Jakarta were unable to land at Sultan Syarif Kasim airport on Wednesday morning after visibility fell to as low as 600 meters. A Lion Air flight returned to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, while a Citilink flight from Jakarta was diverted to Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, Riau Islands.
“The Lion Air flight returned to its departure airport at 6:44 a.m. local time because weather conditions and visibility were below the minimum required for a safe landing, the Citilink flight was diverted at 8:04 a.m. after circling over Pekanbaru while waiting for conditions to improve,” said airport executive general manager, Achmad on Wednesday.
Another flight from Jakarta, operated by Pelita Air, was forced to circle over Pekanbaru five times as dense haze severely reduced visibility before it was able to land safely at 8:40 a.m. as conditions improved, he added.
Haze also disrupted flights at Sultan Thaha Airport in Jambi province on Wednesday, forcing eight flights to and from Jakarta to be delayed or rescheduled.
“Visibility fell from 1,500 meters at 6 a.m. local time to 800 meters by noon, forcing us to delay or reschedule several flights,” said airport spokesperson Bachren as quoted by state news agency Antara.
In North Sumatra, visibility at Silangit Airport in North Tapanuli fell to 1 kilometer on Wednesday as haze blanketed the airport for a second day.
Visibility at the airport typically ranges from 3 km to 4 km in the morning and 6 km to 8 km in the afternoon, said Christy, a forecaster with the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
Visibility of 1 km can disrupt flight operations, she said, although flights at Silangit were still operating normally on Wednesday.
“Ultimately, the decision rests with the airline and the pilot,” Christy said.
More than 36,000 hectares of land have been burned across Sumatra this year, including in the Riau Islands and Bangka Belitung Islands, according to data from the forestry ministry.
Riau has recorded the largest burned area at 15,738 ha, followed by the Riau Islands with 5,760 ha and Lampung with 4,890 ha.
The BMKG detected 4,806 hot spots across Sumatra on Wednesday morning, including 3,689 in South Sumatra and 438 in Jambi.
The fires have also sent air pollution levels soaring in parts of the island.
In Palembang, PM2.5 concentrations reached 903.6 micrograms per cubic meter on Monday, the highest level recorded there this year and in the “very hazardous” category, BMKG data showed.
In Pekanbaru, PM2.5 concentrations reached 298.7 micrograms per cubic meter on Tuesday, putting air quality in the “hazardous” category.
Several regions have closed schools and shifted classes online or to home learning as authorities seek to limit exposure to the haze. (nal)