INDONESIA HAZE CRISIS DISRUPTS MULTIPLE AIRPORTS; FLIGHTS DIVERTED ACROSS PAPUA, SULAWESI, SUMATRA

A severe transboundary haze event from forest and land fires has triggered widespread aviation disruption across Indonesia, with cascading effects into Malaysia. At Sorong’s Domine Eduard Osok Airport, visibility dropped to 2,000 meters, forcing two Jakarta-Sorong flights (Garuda and Batik Air) to divert to Ambon; three additional aircraft were previously diverted to Biak and Ambon. Manado’s Sam Ratulangi Airport was temporarily closed after a grass fire near Runway 18 reduced visibility, causing Garuda GA600 and TransNusa TNU273 to divert to Gorontalo. At Pekanbaru’s Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport, visibility fell to just 600 meters, prompting Lion Air JT292 to return to Jakarta and Citilink QG936 to divert to Batam.

In Malaysia, 36 areas recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index readings, with Johan Setia, Selangor hitting 191—second-highest Cheras and Nilai at 189. Malaysia has offered aerial water-bombing assistance, which Indonesia has accepted.

B2B Takeaway: Haze season remains a systemic operational risk for Indonesian aviation and inbound tourism. Operators should build flexibility into itinerary contracts and maintain contingency routing plans for Papua, Sulawesi, and Sumatra destinations.

#IndonesiaTourism #IndonesiaTravel #AviationDisruption #FlightDisruptions #SoutheastAsia