SINGKAWANG, thekabarnews.com—Thick haze forced Singkawang Airport in West Kalimantan to cancel scheduled flights. This decision came after smoke reduced visibility around the runway below the level required for safe aircraft operations.

Airport officials confirmed that poor visibility grounded flights scheduled for Sunday, August 16, 2026.

“We coordinated with BMKG and the airlines. Because the haze severely limited visibility, we had to cancel today’s flights,” Singkawang Airport Service Unit Head Ilham Hafizi said, as quoted by ANTARA.

The airport had reported normal operations only four days before the cancellations.

“At present, flight operations at Singkawang Airport remain normal because the flights operate during the day,” Hafizi said on August 12.

The sudden deterioration showed how quickly smoke conditions can change during the dry season and disrupt aviation services.

Super Air Jet and TransNusa operate direct flights between Singkawang and Jakarta. The airport normally handles two scheduled Jakarta services each day. Both airlines operate seven flights per week, according to the Transportation Ministry’s airport profile.

In 2025, Singkawang Airport recorded 580 aircraft movements and handled 71,952 passengers. It also increased its growing role in connecting Singkawang with the national capital.

Flight cancellations can affect passenger journeys and time-sensitive cargo deliveries.

Airport authorities and the airlines had not released verified estimates of the number of affected passengers. At the time this report was prepared, they had not released the resulting economic losses.

Official information confirms that the airport canceled flights on August 16. It does not establish that authorities indefinitely suspended every flight to and from Singkawang.

Publicly available statements reviewed for this report also failed to confirm reports that Super Air Jet had suspended operations for several consecutive days.

Airport officials and airlines assess each flight according to current visibility, weather and operational safety conditions. Passengers should therefore contact their airline and check the latest flight status before traveling to the airport.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) forecast haze or smoke across several Singkawang districts on August 21 and 22.

BMKG’s national air-quality platform provides near-real-time PM2.5 measurements, satellite hotspot monitoring and three-day forecasts of smoke-particle distribution.

Authorities had not publicly identified a single fire or location as the sole source of the haze affecting the airport. Wind direction, fire intensity and dry vegetation can carry smoke from multiple locations across a wider area.

Flight cancellations protect passengers when visibility falls below safe operating limits. They do not address the environmental conditions producing seasonal haze.

Effective management of fire-prone peatlands, rapid firefighting, enforcement against illegal burning of land, and better detection of hotspots are required to reduce the risk in the long term.

Airport management may also work with airlines, ground-transport providers and neighboring airports to develop contingency plans to help stranded passengers.

These actions will not eliminate all aviation risk associated with the weather. Such actions can help reduce the frequency and severity of seasonal haze disruptions.