Haze Temporarily Disrupts Samarinda Flights, BMKG Explains Why the Haze Remains Visible

SAMARINDA, KOMPAS.com - Aji Pangeran Tumenggung (APT) Pranoto Airport in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, resumed normal operations on Friday (September 18, 2026).

Earlier, flight activities had been disrupted due to thick haze that shrouded Samarinda City from Wednesday (September 16) through Thursday (September 17, 2026).

Although flight operations have returned to normal, residual haze was still visible around the runway on Friday morning.

In the midst of these conditions, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) revealed that the haze covering several areas in East Kalimantan is not only originating locally.

APT Pranoto Flights Back to Normal

Fatma, Information Staff at APT Pranoto Samarinda Airport, confirmed that flight operations have reopened and are running normally.

"It has been reopened to normal," Fatma said, as quoted by Tribun Kaltim, on Friday.

Morning reports indicated that residual haze was still present in the runway area.

However, weather conditions began to improve around 10:00 a.m. Central Indonesian Time (WITA). The sky gradually cleared up and sunlight helped reduce the haze.

The airport waiting room started filling up again with prospective passengers.

Fatma explained that reopening flight schedules was also related to the Airport Emergency Exercise (AEE), a full-scale emergency response drill held by the airport management starting at 7:00 a.m. WITA.

"The reopening took place around 11:00 a.m. WITA because of the full-scale emergency response drill," she added.

BMKG Reveals Source of the Haze

Meanwhile, haze began to enter Balikpapan. This condition drew BMKG’s attention to visibility levels around Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman (SAMS) Sepinggan Airport.

Huda Abshor Mukhsinin, Head of Data and Information Team at Class I Meteorological Station SAMS Sepinggan Balikpapan, said that his team continuously updates visibility trends to monitor atmospheric changes around the airport.

"Yes, that’s correct. We continuously update the visibility trend to ensure that visibility remains safe enough for flight activities and sea traffic," Huda explained on Thursday (September 17, 2026).

Satellite imagery and atmospheric monitoring showed that the dominant wind around Balikpapan moves from the southwest.