Senai International Airport not closed

The management of Senai International Airport today denied claims the airport was forced to close today due to worsening haze.

Its chief operating officer, Noor Safura Suib reaffirmed that so far all operations at the airport was going on smoothly and all flights were on schedule.

"We pray the winds favor us and take all this haze out of Senai," she told Bernama here.

Confusion arose when Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) issued a statement yesterday saying that the Malaysia Cup match between Johor Darul Ta'zim II and Kedah scheduled here for tonight had been postponed as the Senai International Airport had to be closed yesterday due to worsening haze.

It is understood that the flight supposed to be taken by the Kedah squad from Penang yesterday evening, was cancelled due to the haze in Senai.

Thick haze had forced four airlines to cancel 21 flights to Senai International Airport early yesterday morning.

Noor Safura said, their chief executive officer Mohd Rani Hisham Samsudin had also clarified the real situation to the media yesterday.

"Senai International Airport is not closed and operating as normal and all flights that were cancelled were because of the haze," said Mohd Rani.

The Air Pollutant Index (API) reading in Larkin Lama as at 9am this morning was 92, while in Pasir Gudang it was 88.

An API reading of 0 to 50 indicates good air quality; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy and 300 and above, hazardous.