World · Singapore Bureau
Indonesian airport suspends flights as haze blankets Sumatra region
Deteriorating air quality forced the suspension of multiple flights at a major Sumatran airport on Monday morning. Poor visibility from smoke and haze disrupted operations at the facility, affecting travellers across the region.
LSN Singapore ·
Five flights were delayed at Palembang International Airport on the morning of October 8 as thick haze reduced visibility to hazardous levels, disrupting air traffic across Indonesia's Sumatra region.
The visibility conditions prompted airport authorities to ground flights temporarily, forcing airlines to reschedule services and leaving passengers stranded. The haze, which has increasingly blanketed parts of Sumatra in recent weeks, poses significant challenges to regional aviation operations and public health.
Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra province, sits in one of Indonesia's most vulnerable zones for seasonal haze, which typically worsens during the dry season when uncontrolled fires spread across peatlands and forests. The phenomenon regularly disrupts air and land transport, affecting millions of residents across Southeast Asia.
The airport delays underscore the mounting difficulties faced by regional carriers and travellers as air quality deteriorates. Authorities have not yet indicated when normal flight operations would resume, with meteorological forecasts suggesting haze conditions may persist in the coming days.