TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Flights at Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport in Pekanbaru on Saturday morning were disrupted due to thick haze that hit the airport.

State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II as the authority if the airport said that the unusual weather happened suddenly and forced one flight to be diverted.

"Lion Air Flight JT-388 from Jakarta to Pekanbaru was diverted to Hang Nadim airport in Batam," siad General Manager of the airport Jaya Tahoma Sirait to Antara.

He added that the visibility was previously around 7,000 meter drastically dropped to just 500 meters at 7 am.

The condition was considered hazardous, he added.

Nevertheless, Jaya added that the condition gradually improved and a Garuda Indonesia flight serving Jakarta-Pekanbaru could land at 8 am.

The Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport serves both domestic and international routes.

Ahead of the Eid Day, the airport is getting crowded with passengers and the surge in number of passengers at the airport is expected to peak two days before Eid Day.

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