AirNav Sorong: Two Flights Diverted Due to Poor Visibility
Sorong, South-west Papua (ANTARA) – AirNav Indonesia’s Sorong branch recorded two flights diverted to other airports on Thursday because smoke haze had reduced visibility.
Hery Purnomo, Operations Manager at AirNav Indonesia’s Sorong Tower 1, said the flights were diverted to Rendani Airport in Manokwari and Frans Kaisiepo Airport in Biak.
“Today, two flights were affected: one was diverted to Rendani in Manokwari and one to Biak,” he said at a press briefing at DEO Sorong Airport in South-west Papua on Thursday.
He explained that the flight diverted to Biak was a cargo aircraft travelling from Makassar to Sorong, while the one diverted to Manokwari was a Batik Air flight from Jakarta to Sorong.
In addition to the diversions, several aircraft on the apron were delayed in departing for their respective destinations.
Hery said AirNav Indonesia’s Sorong branch continued to provide air navigation services in accordance with standard operating procedures, particularly when visibility fell below the minimum threshold.
He said information on weather and visibility provided to airlines and pilots came from the Domine Eduard Osok (DEO) Class I Meteorological Station in Sorong.
“If a flight or pilot decides to divert, that is the decision of the pilot. We only provide information,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Bisri, head of the DEO Class I Meteorological Station, said smoke haze continued to affect visibility in the Sorong area.
He explained that prevailing south-easterly winds were carrying smoke towards Sorong from areas with numerous hotspots.
“Because there are many hotspots there, there is naturally a lot of smoke, and it is moving this way,” he said.
Ahmad said the worst visibility on Wednesday was about 1,000 metres between 6.05am and 7am WIT. On Thursday morning, visibility briefly reached 1,500 metres at around 7am WIT.
He said the conditions were caused by smoke haze amid dry weather, with visibility ranging from one to five kilometres.
Ahmad also said that, as of 8 October 2026, 1,463 hotspots had been recorded in South-west Papua since the beginning of October, with the highest number detected in South Sorong Regency.
Garuda Indonesia’s Sorong branch general manager, Nadia Anisa, said the airline had adjusted the timetable for its Jakarta–Sorong route while the smoke haze persisted.
“For the past three days, we have only been able to land in Sorong at around 11am WIT. We usually depart Jakarta at 12.10am; now we depart at 5am,” she said.
She said the schedule change was intended to avoid possible diversions and give passengers greater certainty when arranging onward travel.
Nadia said that on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, one flight each day on the Sorong–Jakarta route was delayed by about five to six hours.