Heru Febrianto, Jakarta – Forest and land fires disrupted 1,673 scheduled domestic flights in Indonesia between Aug. 11 and Oct. 9, 2026, as smoke reduced visibility at several airports, causing delays, cancellations, and diversions.
Lukman F. Laisa, director general of civil aviation at the Transportation Ministry, said safety remained the top priority when visibility fell below the minimum threshold for flight operations.
"We will not compromise on safety. If visibility falls below the minimum operational threshold, flights may experience delays, cancellations, postponements, or diversions. These measures are part of our efforts to ensure the safety of passengers and flight crews," Lukman said on Monday.
Monitoring by the ministry's Directorate General of Civil Aviation, in coordination with airport authorities and airlines, found that 745 flights were delayed, 907 were canceled or postponed, 15 were diverted to other airports and six returned to their airports of departure.
Separately, the ministry reported that 14 flights were canceled for reasons unrelated to forest fires, including volcanic ash from Mount Lewotolok and Mount Dukono, strong winds and aircraft maintenance requirements.
Ten airlines were affected by the fires. Citilink Indonesia recorded the highest number of disrupted flights, at 478, followed by NAM Air with 300, Wings Air with 227, and Super Air Jet with 161.
Wings Air recorded the most cancellations, at 226, followed by Super Air Jet with 158 and Citilink with 115. Citilink also reported the most delays, at 357, followed by NAM Air with 212.
The disruptions were concentrated at several airports in Kalimantan, including Supadio Airport in Pontianak, Tjilik Riwut Airport in Palangka Raya, Iskandar Airport in Pangkalan Bun, H. Asan Airport in Sampit, Rahadi Oesman Airport in Ketapang and Syamsudin Noor Airport in Banjarmasin. Disruptions were also reported at Sultan Thaha Airport in Jambi and Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport in Palembang, South Sumatra.
The ministry reminded airlines to uphold passengers' rights under applicable regulations, including providing compensation, rebooking options or full refunds, subject to the relevant rules and conditions.
"We have tasked the Airport Authority Office with overseeing the enforcement of passenger rights on the ground. We will not hesitate to impose sanctions on airlines that fail to fulfill their obligations in accordance with the regulations," Lukman said.
The ministry urged passengers to check their flight status through official airline and airport channels before traveling. It said monitoring and coordination with industry stakeholders would continue to help maintain flight safety and operations during the fire season.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/forest-fires-disrupt-1673-flights-in-indonesi