Fog disrupts three flights

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SIBU: Thick fog disrupted three flights landing at Sibu Airport yesterday, with two forced to divert to Bintulu and another one having its landing delayed.

Sibu Airport manager Zainuddin Abu Nazir confirmed this yesterday, saying that the two planes diverted to Bintulu were AirAsia flights from Kuching and Kuala Lumpur.

He said the third was a MasWing flight from Kota Kinabalu, which circled in the air for half an hour before landing.

Visibility yesterday morning was recorded at less than 2,000 metres and it affected the flights’ landing and taking off.

“Apart from the three flights, other flights departing and arriving were also delayed. However, when the fog cleared after10am, flights landing and taking off returned to normal,” he told thesundaypost.

Zainuddin said the two AirAsia flights flew to Bintulu after they could not land. Both flew back and landed safely at about 10am.

According to him, flights disrupted by thick fog were nothing new in Sarawak.

Meanwhile, the Sarawak Meteorological Department confirmed the thick fog in Sibu yesterday morning.

“It was not haze that caused the poor visibility, but the fog,” the department’s spokesman said.

 

 

The department recorded the heaviest fog between 8am and 9am, adding that it cleared after 10am.

The officer said the API readings in Central Sarawak remained at a moderate level between 50 and 100.