MAS flights unaffected by haze so far, says airline

Flights of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) have been unaffected so far by the critical level of haze enveloping several parts of the country, especially Johor, according to the airline.

MAS Operations Control Centre chief Mohd Fuad Mohd Sharuji said today the airline had a contingency plan should the haze worsen.

"In Johor Baharu, visibility is about 1,000 feet and our aircraft can still land," he said during an interview over 'Buletin Awani' on the Astro Awani channel.

Mohd Fuad said all MAS flights were keeping to their schedule but the airline would postpone or cancel flights when it was necessary to do so if the haze worsened.

As of this afternoon, the Air Pollutant Index (API) in several areas in Johor was at the hazardous level, with the worst situation in Pasir Gudang where the reading was 323.

The air pollution level is categorised as hazardous when the reading is 301 or more; very unhealthy at 201 to 300; unhealthy at 101 to 200; moderate at 51 to 100 and good at zero to 50.