ISKANDAR PUTERI, Oct 8 — Several flights at Senai International Airport were delayed earlier today after haze caused poor visibility.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said at least five flights were affected, with aircraft unable to land because visibility conditions did not meet established aviation safety requirements.

As a result, he said several flights had to be diverted to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Changi Airport in Singapore.

“The situation was not just a matter of aircraft being unable to land, but it had also affected flights that had not yet departed from their points of origin as they were required to delay their schedules.

“Due to safety concerns, several flights had to be diverted as a priority.

“Even if a flight manages to depart, it is better for the aircraft to wait at the departure airport such as KLIA as it cannot land at Senai International Airport,” he told reporters at the launch of an electric terminal truck fleet at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas here today.

Also present were Johor Works, Transport, Infrastructure and Communications Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh and PTP chief executive officer Mark Hardiman.

Loke also shared that his flight from KLIA to Senai, originally scheduled to depart at 6.45am, was delayed following instructions from Air Traffic Control (ATC).

He said all passengers had to wait inside the aircraft for nearly an hour and 45 minutes before it was allowed to depart at 9am after conditions improved.

“When I landed at Senai International Airport, there were indeed quite a number of passengers who were still stranded and had not yet departed.

“This was due to outbound flights that were affected by the delayed arrival of aircraft that had been diverted earlier.

“However, the disruption is temporary, and the situation is being closely monitored. I am confident that flight operations at Senai International Airport will be fully operational in the next two to three hours,” he said.

Earlier today, seven areas in Johor recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings, with Segamat recording the highest at 186, followed by Pasir Gudang at 180, Larkin at 178 and Tangkak at 171.

An API reading of between zero and 50 is classified as good, 51 to 100 as moderate, 101 to 200 as unhealthy, 201 to 300 as very unhealthy, while readings above 300 are classified as hazardous.