Pekanbaru, Riau, (Antarariau.com)- Some 19 flights were cancelled due to haze triggered by forest and plantation fires in Riau Province, Sunday, according to the Authorities of Sultan Syarif Kasim II (SSK II) Airport.
"Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Sriwijaya and Fire Fly have informed us about the flight cancellations today," the airports Duty Manager Hasnan told Antara.
The four airways that served flights to Jakarta, Medan (North Sumatra), and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), have cancelled their flights since Saturday (Sept. 12).
Other airways decided to delay their flights indefinitely due to the haze.
On Sunday, the airport supposed to serve 68 flights but there were no activities up to 12 a.m. because Pekanbaru city was shrouded by thick haze.
The visibility at the SSK II airport was only between 300 meters and 500 meters in the morning.
In the afternoon, however, the visibility improved to 1,000 meters. AirAsia from Kuala Lumpur and Citilink from Batam have informed the airport authorities that they would land their planes in the airport.
Since September 2, haze has frequently affected the Pekanbaru airport, and on September 3, the airports operations were nearly paralyzed.
Smog caused by forest fires led to 16 flight delays and six cancellations at Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport on Sept. 8.
"Todays flights are affected (by smog), causing 16 delays and six cancellations," General Manager of Sultan Syarif Kasim II Dani Indra Irawan remarked on Sept. 8.
Garuda Indonesia and Citilink cancelled flights to Jakarta, while AirAsia cancelled flights to Bandung.
Flight delays were experienced by 11 airlines: Lion Air, Garuda Indonesia, Batik Air, Indonesia AirAsia, Susi Air, Silk Air, Citilink Indonesia, AirAsia, Firefly, Sriwijaya Air, and Malindo Air.
However, flights resumed in the afternoon as the visibility improved up to 1.5 thousand meters.
Forest Fire Haze Causes 19 Flight Cancellations In Pekanbaru
