Forest fire haze disrupts flights at West Kalimantan’s Supadio Airport

Thick smoke haze from forest and land fires has disrupted air travel in West Kalimantan, with poor visibility affecting flights at Supadio International Airport and forcing dozens of services to be delayed, rescheduled or cancelled.

At Supadio Airport in Kubu Raya, visibility fell to about 300 metres on Monday morning (14 September), preventing flights from operating until at least 10am. Airport authorities said 73 flights had been delayed or rescheduled over the previous three days.

The disruption comes as Indonesia's fire and haze situation continues to affect neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore, with smoke detected across parts of Borneo and the wider southern ASEAN region.

73 Supadio flights affected

M. Joko Wahyudi, head of the communications and CSR department at Supadio International Airport, said thick haze from forest fires in Kalimantan had disrupted airport operations.

"Based on the schedule, several airlines were supposed to depart this morning, but due to the visibility condition, which was only 300 metres until 10am, no flights have taken off," Joko said in Sungai Raya on Monday, according to Antara.

He said poor visibility had affected operations since Saturday (12 September), with 73 flights to and from Supadio delayed or rescheduled during the three-day period.

Only 11 flights operated on Saturday, comprising six arrivals and five departures. A further nine flights operated on Sunday (13 September), with five arrivals and four departures.

As of Monday, airport authorities were waiting for individual airlines to determine whether affected services would be cancelled or rescheduled.

The poor visibility on Saturday resulted in dozens of flight cancellations. Airport authorities said flight safety remained the main consideration when making operational decisions.

Passengers given masks, food and water

Supadio Airport increased staffing in its check-in and passenger waiting areas to manage travellers affected by delays and schedule changes.

Yakobus Thomry Toto, head of the Airport Quality and Safety Management System department at Supadio, said the airport was also distributing masks, snacks and drinking water to affected passengers.

The airport has increased the dissemination of flight information through notice boards and strengthened coordination with airlines, AirNav Indonesia and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG).

The parties are using Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) to speed up the exchange of information about flight conditions, with airlines expected to notify passengers earlier when flights are delayed or rescheduled because of poor visibility.

Smoke haze spreads across Kalimantan

The disruption at Supadio comes as fires continue to produce smoke across parts of Kalimantan and Sumatra.

Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday that clusters of hotspots had been detected in southern Sumatra as well as West, Central and South Kalimantan. A smaller number of hotspots were also detected in Peninsular Malaysia and Java.

Moderate to dense smoke haze was observed in central and southern Sumatra, West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.

NEA also detected transboundary smoke haze in parts of Sarawak, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and southern Viet Nam. Air-quality monitoring stations in affected areas were reporting moderate to unhealthy conditions.

Dry conditions were forecast to persist across many parts of southern ASEAN in the coming days, apart from northern Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and northern Borneo, where some showers were expected.

NEA said the regional hotspot and haze situation was expected to remain elevated, with a continued risk of transboundary smoke haze.

Sarawak affected by Indonesian haze

The effects have been particularly evident in Sarawak, across the border from Indonesian Kalimantan.

Serian, a district in southern Sarawak near the Indonesian border, recorded extremely poor air quality earlier this month, with Malaysia declaring an emergency after the Air Pollutant Index exceeded 500. The emergency was subsequently lifted as air quality improved, although haze continued to affect parts of the state.

Kuching and other parts of western Sarawak have also experienced periods of unhealthy air quality as smoke from Kalimantan fires moved across the border.

Malaysian authorities temporarily closed schools in affected areas during periods of severe haze and advised residents to reduce outdoor activities when air quality deteriorated.

The haze has also affected parts of Peninsular Malaysia, although conditions have varied depending on wind direction and local weather.

Singapore returns to unhealthy air quality

Singapore's air quality also deteriorated again on Monday.

The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in the central region reached 102 at noon, moving into the unhealthy range after four consecutive days of moderate readings. Other regional readings ranged from 79 to 91.

The unhealthy PSI range begins at 101, while readings between 201 and 300 are classified as very unhealthy and those above 300 as hazardous.

NEA said Singapore's 24-hour PSI was expected to remain in the moderate to low unhealthy range.

The agency has been issuing daily haze advisories since 4 September, when the 24-hour PSI first entered the unhealthy range this month.

NEA has linked the deterioration to smoke from fires in southern Sumatra and Kalimantan. Moderate to dense smoke plumes continue to be detected in those areas, while prevailing winds over southern ASEAN are expected to remain mainly from the south-east.

Dry weather keeps haze risk elevated

NEA said dry conditions were expected to continue across southern Sumatra and Kalimantan, maintaining conditions conducive to hotspot and smoke haze activity.

Winds over parts of Borneo are forecast to remain light and variable, while prevailing winds across the southern ASEAN region are expected mainly from the south-east.

Northern ASEAN is expected to experience wetter conditions, with hotspot and smoke haze activity forecast to remain subdued.

The latest disruption at Supadio Airport has affected domestic air travel in Indonesia, while the movement of smoke across borders has also affected air quality in Malaysia and Singapore.

At Supadio, airport authorities continue to coordinate with airlines, AirNav Indonesia and BMKG as visibility conditions determine whether flights can operate safely.