Twelve flights between Singapore and Pontianak in West Kalimantan were cancelled in September, while another two between Singapore and Palembang in South Sumatra were cancelled on Oct 15, according to Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry.
SINGAPORE: Haze from forest fires in Indonesia has disrupted more than 2,600 domestic flights since August and forced the cancellation of 14 international services involving Singapore, Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry said on Tuesday (Oct 20).
A total of 2,604 domestic flights were affected between Aug 11 and Oct 19, said the ministry's director-general of air transportation, Lukman F Laisa.
Of these, more than half - or 1,420 flights - were cancelled or postponed, while another 1,129 were delayed.
Twenty-three flights were diverted to other airports, six returned to their departure airports and 26 were rescheduled to leave earlier, state news agency Antara reported.
The disruptions affected airports across Indonesia, including Palu’s Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport in Central Sulawesi and Ternate’s Sultan Babullah airport in North Maluku province.
Airports in West Kalimantan's Pontianak, Riau's Pekanbaru and South Sumatra's Palembang were also affected.
International flights have also been affected. Twelve round-trip flights between Singapore and Pontianak were cancelled between Sep 12 and Sep 23, while another two between Singapore and Palembang were cancelled on Oct 15.
The Transportation Ministry said safety and security remained the government’s top priority, with operational decisions taking into account weather conditions and safety assessments.
“Flight schedule adjustments can be made if conditions on the ground do not allow operations to proceed safely,” Laisa said, as quoted by Antara.
Haze can reduce visibility around airports, affecting take-offs, landings and aircraft movements.
Flight disruptions caused by the haze have extended beyond Indonesia.
In Malaysia, low-cost carrier FireFly resumed flights between Subang in Selangor and Singapore on Thursday after suspending the service for about a week.