Haze disrupts flights in Penang airport

GEORGE TOWN (Sept 18): The worsening haze shrouding much of Malaysia has caused flight disruptions in Penang International Airport (PIA) today.

“Visibility from the PIA control tower has dropped to 1.5km from more than 10km on a good day,” PIA senior manager Mohd Nadzim Hashim was reported telling Free Malaysia Today today.

The runway visual range for both runways at the state airport is at 1,700m, he added.

He said Silk Air flight MI 346 from Singapore to Penang had to be diverted to the Kualanamu International Airport in Medan, while a FedEx cargo plane from Penang to Bangkok was delayed.

A UPS Airline cargo plane scheduled to depart from Penang to KLIA, as well as a Lion Air flight from Medan to Penang, was “unable to take off as planned”, Nadzim added.

In Penang, an API (air pollutant index) reading of more than 200 was first recorded in Balik Pulau at 7am this morning. Subsequently, at 10am, Gelugor also breached the “very unhealthy” level, at an API reading of 203.
 

On the island, the API reading was hovering between 205 and 225 as of 11am, while Seberang Perai's reading ranged from 156 to 163.

An API reading of 0-50 shows good air quality; 51-100, moderate; 101-200, unhealthy; 201-300, very unhealthy; and over 300, hazardous.