Antara, Banjarbaru – Smoke from land and forest fires in Banjarmasin of South Kalimantan delayed at least six flights at Syamsudin Noor International Airport as haze covered the region.
"The flights were delayed between 6 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. (Central Indonesian Time/WITA) as visibility is only about 100 meters," the airport's spokesperson Iwan Risdianto said on Friday, September 8, 2023.
Four of the six flights were bound for Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, namely Citilink (QG 483), Super Air Jet (IU 625), Lion Air (JT 529), and Garuda Indonesia (GA 533).
The other two were Lion Air 311 scheduled to Juanda International Airport in Surabaya and Wings Air (IW 1394) to Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan International Airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.
Iwan explained that conditions were gradually returning to normal by midday, with visibility reaching 1,500 meters, which was considered safe for flying.
Iwan also issued an apology for the flight disruption and hoped that passengers would understand that this was done solely to ensure their safety and convenience.
Flights at the Syamsudin Noor International Airport in Banjarmasin have been disrupted several times this morning due to haze.