The ongoing forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan have affected the operation of 16 airports leading to flight delays and cancellations due to low visibility, the Indonesian transportation ministry said on Tuesday.
Transportation Ministry spokesperson Julius Adravida Barata said that the haze has lowered visibility at the airports, forcing planes to reschedule or even cancel their flights for safety reasons, Xinhua news agency reported.
"Visibility was significantly affected, making it difficult for planes to land or take off," Barata said in a statement.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency is teaming up with police, military and volunteers to extinguish the fires on the ground while creating artificial rain to help the efforts.
Indonesia has been experiencing massive forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan in the last 18 years.
Legal measures have been strengthened against individuals and firms responsible for the forest fires.
