Haze forces Garuda to cancel hundreds of flights

JAKARTA — Garuda Indonesia has cancelled more than 400 flights to and from destinations in Sumatra and Kalimantan affected by thick haze from forest fires, the flag carrier revealed yesterday (Sept 21).

Garuda scrapped 449 flights in the period from Sept 3 to 20. Yesterday it cancelled 11 flights.

“Garuda was forced to cancel flights due to the limited visibility from the haze that blanketed the air in several cities in Sumatra and Kalimantan. “Disturbance from the haze can endanger flight safety,” Mr Benny S Butarbutar, the airline’s vice president of corporate communications, said in a statement.

Indonesian aviation authorities allow some flights to take off and land if visibility is above 800m, but the haze, particularly in the badly-hit Sumatran provinces of Riau and Jambi, has restricted visibility at times to just 100m.

Mr Benny said passengers with flights to destinations in the affected regions should regularly check the status of their flight with Garuda before travelling to the airport.

“Garuda will continue to monitor the situation and developments related to the effects of haze and readiness of each affected airport to re-execute flight operations,” he said.

The airline also apologised for the inconvenience associated with what it called conditions beyond its control. THE JAKARTA GLOBE