Forest fires and haze surrounding Palembang over the last few weeks has caused 18 flights to be delayed at Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Palembang Airport.
According to the airport’s Executive General Manager, Fahroji, the thickening haze caused the visibility to drop to only 200 metres on Sunday.
“As of 05:00 Indonesia Western Time (WIB) the visibility remained at 800 metres, which is considered safe. But then at 06:00, the visibility dropped to 200 metres and came back to normal at 08:00 WIB with visibility improving to 2,500 metres,” Fahroji added.
He further elaborated that out of the 18 flights, seven were arriving flights whilst eleven were departing. A flight which was supposed to land in Jambi had also been diverted to Palembang due to the thick haze, which was a lot worse in Jambi.
Bambang Beny, Head of the airport’s Observatory and Meteorological Station, explained that the haze had originated from the land and forest fires in the eastern and southern areas of the region.
Source: Antara
Image: Metro Pekanbaru