Forest Fire Haze Disrupts Six Flights at Supadio Airport Pontianak

Haze caused by forest and land fires (karhutla) disrupted operations at Supadio International Airport in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Friday (21/8/2026). Visibility that deteriorated to below 1,000 metres resulted in six flights experiencing delays and route diversions.

General Manager of Supadio International Airport, Maya Damayanti, revealed that five departing flights were affected: JT 837 (Pontianak-Surabaya), IU 691 (Pontianak-Jakarta), IW 1440 (Pontianak-Ketapang), IU 683 (Pontianak-Jakarta), and IU 697 (Pontianak-Jakarta). Meanwhile, one arriving flight, IU 682 on the Jakarta-Pontianak route, was forced to perform a go-around before being diverted to Hang Nadim Airport in Batam at 08.24 WIB.

PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia’s Supadio Airport branch office confirmed that the disruption was purely triggered by reduced visibility due to forest fire haze around the airport area. Operational data shows a similar trend of disruptions has occurred over recent days, with 15 flights experiencing delays during the period of 18-20 August 2026.

“We continue to monitor the development of visibility conditions. Cross-agency coordination is proceeding well to ensure all flight safety procedures are met amid the current haze disruption,” said Maya Damayanti in an official statement on Friday (21/8).

Airport authorities are now working intensively with the BMKG Supadio Station, AirNav Indonesia, airlines, BNPB, and Kubu Raya Police to monitor weather conditions in real time. Based on information from BMKG, visibility in the morning was indeed below the operational safety standard for flights.

PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia management urged prospective passengers, particularly those with morning departure schedules, to regularly check their flight status through their respective airlines. Anticipatory measures are necessary as schedules may change at any time following the dynamics of weather conditions and visibility on the runway.