Southeast Asia Haze Cancels Firefly Seletar-Subang Flights, Disrupts Airports in Indonesia and Malaysia
Why It MattersHaze-driven cancellations hit the secondary airports that business and regional aviation rely on first, and the dry El Niño pattern points to recurring seasonal exposure across this Southeast Asian corridor.
Smoke haze from fires in Indonesia is reducing visibility at airports across Southeast Asia, with unhealthy to hazardous air quality in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. No region-wide aviation shutdown has been reported, but operations at specific airports have been affected.
Firefly has canceled all six daily round trips between Singapore's Seletar Airport and Subang in Kuala Lumpur through Oct. 12, citing haze and weather conditions. Affected passengers are being moved to Malaysia Airlines flights between Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Singapore Changi, subject to seat availability, or offered refunds; the transfer changes the airport at both ends of the trip. Disruption has also been reported in recent days at Senai International Airport in Johor. In Indonesia, Lion Air warned on Oct. 11 that haze and adverse weather could delay or cancel services connecting Jayapura, Wamena, Manokwari and Sorong. Earlier disruptions at Pekanbaru and Palembang saw aircraft return to their departure airports, divert or wait for visibility to improve, and haze cut visibility around Batam to two to three kilometers.
The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre found moderate to dense smoke haze over Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, central and southern Sumatra, parts of Borneo and the southern Philippines. Indonesia is at the center of the crisis, with widespread fire hotspots across Sumatra and Kalimantan, and El Niño-related dryness is making the fires harder to extinguish. Malaysia and Indonesia are coordinating firefighting assistance, including proposed aerial water-bombing operations and amphibious aircraft; these are proposed rather than confirmed. Singapore's environmental agency expects dry weather to continue across parts of southern Southeast Asia, though showers in some areas could help suppress hotspots. Travelers are advised to confirm flight status with their airline before heading to the airport.
