JAMBI AIRPORT CLOSED FOR FOUR HOURS DUE TO HAZE

Jambi, Sept 15 (ANTARA) - Jambi's Sultan Thaha Saifudin airport was once again closed for four hours on Tuesday due to thick haze that reduced the range of visibility to below the normal level, an airport official said.

According to Olan Simanjuntak, an information staffer of the airport, the range of visibility on Tuesday morning was only recorded at less than 800 meters, or far below the normal level of 1,800 meters.

"We have to close the airport until 10.30 am because of thick haze and all flight activities, departures and arrivals, are delayed for the time being," Simanjuntak said.

He said that the flight of Lion Air which would serve the Jambi-Jakarta route at 7.10 am had to be delayed for four hours. The arrival at 7.45 am of a Garuda plane from Jakarta was also delayed.

Arrivals of Batavia Air and Sriwijaya Air planes were also delayed. The two airlines in Jakarta were waiting confirmation from Jambi about the haze condition, he said.