Haze: Airport closure, flight cancellation based on pilots' views, visibility - DCA

The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) will order temporary closure of airports due to the current haze after considering the views of pilots and ground and air visibility.

Its director-general, Datuk Seri Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said DCA would monitor the situation from time to time and issue an order to cancel flights or temporarily close airports if the visibility was less than 500 metres.

"The temporary closure of airports is based on the visibility. Pilots will also get information on visibility on land because the visibility on land and in the air is different," he told reporters at the Bunga Raya Complex, KL International Airport (KLIA) here, Monday.

He said airports equipped with more modern and sophisticated systems such as Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Surface Movement Radar System (SMR) facilitate aircraft landing.

Azharuddin said aircraft landing at KLIA are large and equipped with sophisticated systems making it easier for them to land in the haze.

"Aircraft which use Visual Flight Rules cannot fly when the haze becomes bad," he said when asked about the temporary closure of the Langkawi International Airport for over three hours today due to low visibility.

The decision to close the airport on the island resort left hundreds of passengers stranded at the terminal.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) announced at 11.40am that flights would resume following better visibility.