Minister Reveals Current Status of Transport Operations in Kalimantan

Transport activity in several parts of Kalimantan is continuing amid forest and land fires. The Ministry of Transportation has stated that land, sea, and air transport services remain operational with monitoring of smoke conditions and air quality.

Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi said passenger movement and goods distribution are still taking place. The government continues to monitor the development of the forest and land fires to ensure the situation does not disrupt travel safety.

“Passenger movement and logistics distribution activities continue in accordance with applicable safety standards. However, monitoring of forest and land fire conditions, air quality, and their impact on the smooth running of transport services is still carried out periodically,” Dudy said in a statement on Monday (24/8/2026).

Smoke haze conditions in several areas are beginning to show improvement. East Kalimantan and South Kalimantan are among the regions experiencing a reduction in the impact of smoke, so transport operations can generally continue.

“There were indeed some flights affected, especially from Syamsudin Noor Airport, South Kalimantan. However, the situation has gradually become conducive. We urge the public to always update information before travelling,” he continued.

Amid these conditions, the government has opened the way for the use of foreign aircraft to assist with firefighting and disaster response efforts. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has processed 35 special permits for the operation of foreign-registered aircraft. Aircraft that have obtained these permits can be moved to other areas if disaster response needs change.

The repositioning policy allows aircraft previously stationed in one area to be immediately deployed to other locations requiring support. With this mechanism, relief fleets do not need to go through a new permit process every time there is a change in operating location.

Aircraft operators only need to submit a notification to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation no later than 1 x 24 hours after repositioning. This provision refers to the Decree of the Director General of Civil Aviation Number KP. 9 of 2021 concerning Authorisation for the Operation of Foreign Aircraft.

This step is part of efforts to accelerate the mobilisation of air fleets in dealing with forest and land fires, whose conditions and locations can change rapidly. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transportation continues to ask the public to pay attention to the latest information before travelling, particularly regarding flight conditions in affected areas.