‘It smells like charred earth’: BBC at epicenter of Indonesia fires, sparking haze crisis in Singapore and Malaysia

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The fog crisis affected 2,604 domestic flights in Indonesia between August 11 and October 19, the Transport Ministry said.

Of these, 1,129 flights were delayed, while 1,420 were canceled or postponed. The ministry also recorded 23 flight diversions, six return-to-base flights and 26 flights departing ahead of schedule as airlines responded to reduced visibility caused by haze.

The disruptions spread well beyond the worst-affected fire zones in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Between October 13 and 17, haze-related flight disruptions were reported in eastern Indonesia, including Sulawesi, Moluccas, North Moluccas and Papua.

Affected airports included Palu, Ternate, Ambon, Timika, Sorong, Pontianak, Pekanbaru and Palembang, highlighting the national scope of one of the most severe haze episodes Indonesia has seen in years.