Flights Bound for Peknbaru Diverted to Batam due to Haze

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Three aircrafts owned by Garuda Indonesia, Citilink, and Lion Air that are heading towards Pekanbaru were forced to land at Batam's Hang Nadim International Airport instead due to poor visibility at Pekanbaru's airport, which shrouded in smoke and haze.

"A Citilink aircraft landed on 08.24 Western Indonesia Time (WIB), an aircraft belonging to Lion Air landed on 08.31 WIB, while the Garuda Indonesia aircraft landed on 08.54 WIB. All three flights originated in Jakarta and were supposed to land in Pekanbaru," said Hang Nadim Airport's head of aviation safety Indah Irwansyah in Batam on Thursday.

She said that visibility at Pekanbaru's Sultan Syarif Kasim (SSK) Airport was down to 700 metres, forcing the aircrafts to divert to Batam instead. "We received information that the visibility had dipped to 700 meters, so aircrafts were not allowed to land on the runway. The haze is predicted to linger for quite some time, that's why the pilots decided to divert to Batam instead," said Indah.

The weather in Pekanbaru has since cleared and aircrafts have been allowed to take off and land since 12:00 Western Indonesia Time, according to Indah.

"The aircrafts had been cleared to approach Pekanbaru after being stuck in Batam for several hours," said Indah.

Although Batam is also impacted by the haze, the condition is not as severe as it was in Pekanbaru. "Visibility around the airport is still safe for all aircrafts to take off and land. Those who cannot land in Pekanbaru could divert to Batam to land," said Indah.

A Sriwijaya Airlines flight from Batam to Jambi's Sultan Taha Airport was also cancelled due to poor visibility on the runway in Jambi.

Mahrido, a representative for Lion Air in Batam, has confirmed that a Lion Air flight was diverted to Batam earlier this morning. "The aircraft was carrying 180 passengers when it diverted to Batam, The aircraft left for Pekanbaru as soon as the haze cleared," said Mahrido.

ANTARANEWS