Haze: Flights cancelled, delayed at Tawau Airport

Two departure and arrival flights at the Tawau Airport were cancelled because of limited visibility due to the haze today.

The airport manager, Yaakob Abu Bakar said the flights involved the Kota Kinabalu-Tawau-Kota Kinabalu sector by MASWings and Malaysia Airlines.

He said three flights for the Kota Kinabalu-Tawau-Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur-Tawau-Kuala Lumpur sectors by MASWings and AirAsia were also delayed because of that.

"The airport was closed at 8am due to the haze and reopened at 10am," he said when contacted by Bernama here today.

However, he said the situation at the airport was under control and the airport authority, with the cooperation of the Department of Civil Aviation and the Meteorological Department Civil, to continue to monitor the situation.

As at 2pm, the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading at Tawau showed unhealthy air at 123.

Meanwhile, Kota Kinabalu Airport manager Sunif Naiman said a MASWings Flight MH2121 to Tawau, which was diverted back to Kota Kinabalu, had to be diverted to Brunei because of the rain.