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View all search resultsAirlines, passengers bear cost of haze-hit flights
The Indonesian National Air Carriers Association (INACA) said airlines had limited flexibility to cut costs during the disruptions, as safety remained paramount and some operating expenses continued even when flights were grounded.
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Haze blankets Tjilik Riwut Airport on Oct. 14 in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. Airport authorities temporarily suspended flights as smoke from wildfires reduced visibility.
(Antara Foto/Auliya Rahman)
I
ndonesia’s aviation industry is facing mounting operational and financial pressures as forest and land fires have disrupted thousands domestic flights since August, affecting airline schedules, airport revenues and passengers’ travel plans.
The Transportation Ministry recorded 2,604 scheduled domestic flights affected by forest and land fires as of Monday, including 1,129 delays, 1,420 cancellations or postponements, 23 diversions to other airports, six returns to departure airports and 26 flights brought forward.
The number increased by 146 from the 2,458 flights recorded as of Saturday, highlighting the continuing disruption caused by smoke that has spread across Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, North Maluku and Papua.
Alvin Lie of the Indonesian Aviation Passenger Association (Apjapi) said the cost of haze-related flight disruptions extended beyond airlines to airport operators, air navigation service providers, airport retailers and passengers, as cancellations and delays cut revenue across the aviation industry and disrupt travel plans.
“Many flights are canceled, throwing aircraft rotations across Indonesia into disarray,” Alvin said to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Flights to and from Sumatra, Kalimantan and parts of Java were among the most affected, particularly in areas with dense smoke, he said, with smoke primarily disrupting aircraft during takeoff and landing by reducing visibility, while its impact diminishes once planes climb above the smoke layer, which typically reaches 3,000 to 5,000 feet.
Aircraft operating in smoke-affected areas may also require more frequent cleaning of their air systems and engines to prevent technical problems, adding to maintenance costs for airlines.
