KUCHING: AirBorneo Airways has advised that intra-Borneo flights may be retimed or cancelled as worsening haze continues to affect Sarawak, with several areas recording hazardous air quality.
In a general travel advisory, the airline said certain flights could be affected due to safety considerations, while its teams continue to assess the situation.
“Certain flights may be retimed or cancelled due to safety reasons. Our teams are currently assessing the ongoing situation and timely announcements will be made if there is a change to any scheduled flights,” it said.
The advisory comes as haze conditions deteriorated further across Sarawak on Sept 1, with Serian, Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman and Sarikei among areas recording hazardous Air Pollutant Index (API) readings.
At press time, latest available readings showed Serian and Kuching exceeding 400, while Samarahan, Sri Aman and Sarikei were also above 300.
The situation had already worsened significantly on Monday (Aug 31), when the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) reported seven locations in the hazardous category as of 10am.
Serian recorded the highest API reading at 475, followed by Tebedu at 402, Lubok Antu at 375, Lundu at 363, Samarahan at 333, Kuching at 331 and Sri Aman at 331.
An API reading of between zero and 50 is classified as good, 51 to 100 moderate, 101 to 200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy and above 300 hazardous.
Against the worsening conditions, AirBorneo urged passengers to monitor the airline’s latest announcements for changes to their flights.
“Please stay safe during the ongoing haze situation. We appreciate your understanding and support, and kindly stay tuned to AirBorneo for the latest flight updates,” it said.
The airline also advised the public to remain indoors as much as possible.
