3 flights cancelled, 2 arrivals rerouted as smog affects Ipoh airport

Three flights scheduled for departure from the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport (LTSAS) in Ipoh, were cancelled today due to the poor air quality, a spokesman for Malaysian Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB) said.

Airport manager Mohd Ali Osman said two Firefly flights – FY3543 to Singapore at 11.35am and FY2253 to Johor Baru (12.05pm) – and Malindo Air flight OD821 to Singapore (12.20pm), had to be cancelled as the visibility was only 1,000m at noon and 1,200m at 1pm.

"Firefly flight FY3543 involved 37 passengers, FY2253 52 passengers and Malindo Air OD821 126 passengers. All the affected passengers had been informed much earlier concerning the cancellation."

He said Firefly management provided buses to ferry passengers to the KL International Airport (KLIA) while Malindo Air reimbursed its passengers for their tickets.

Meanwhile, Ali said two flights, which were scheduled to land at LTSAS, were rerouted to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang.

He said Malindo Air flight OD820 and Firefly flight FY2252 were originally scheduled to arrive at LTSAS at 11.25am.

"All the 138 passengers affected should have landed at the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport as scheduled.

"Both aircrafts were already en route to Ipoh when they had to be redirected to Subang after receiving initial information on the haze situation."

Also affected by the smoke that caused limited visibility in Ipoh was a Firefly flight, which should have left Singapore for Ipoh and arrived at 11.15am.

However, the airline was able to cancel it before it took off. – Bernama