Lion Air Sentani flights disrupted by haze: what to do

Lion Air and Wings Air reported cancellations and long delays at Sentani Airport (DJJ), which serves Jayapura, on October 13, 2026. Haze reduced visibility around the airport and disrupted flights linking Jayapura with Wamena, Manokwari and Timika.

The airline's latest notice was issued at 20:00 Eastern Indonesia Time, or WIT. It covers specific flights from earlier that day. It does not say that every Lion Air or Wings Air service at Sentani is cancelled, and it does not set an end time for the disruption.

*Original AI-generated OpenSim editorial illustration. The airport, aircraft, display and travelers are conceptual and do not depict an actual affected flight.*

The practical answer: Check the current booking before going to Sentani Airport. If your flight was cancelled, Lion Air says affected passengers can choose a refund or a move to another available flight, subject to the applicable terms. If it is delayed, do not assume the next published departure time is final while visibility remains changeable.

Flights named in the October 13 update

Lion Air's 20:00 WIT operational update lists six affected services. Times below are local WIT times from that notice.

These are not instructions for a later travel date. A flight number can operate on another day even when the October 13 service was cancelled or delayed. Use the booking for the exact date as the controlling record.

The disruption also changed from the previous day. Lion Air's October 12 update named a different set of cancellations on the Sorong and Timika rotations. Follow the newest dated notice rather than an older list shared in a message or screenshot.

Check the booking before leaving for the airport

Use Lion Air's Retrieve Booking page with the booking reference or ticket details. Save the current itinerary and any cancellation or schedule-change message before making a choice.

Check that the flight number and date match your ticket, every onward sector remains confirmed, and the airline has your current phone number and email. Tell the person meeting you the newest arrival time.

Do not travel to the airport only because a third-party tracker still labels the flight as scheduled. The airline says haze can delay an arriving aircraft and then disrupt its next departure. A later flight may therefore change even if its route is not in the first cancellation list.

Refund or reschedule: ask who issued the ticket

Lion Air says affected passengers were offered a refund or rescheduling to another available flight, subject to the applicable terms and conditions. Availability matters. The notice does not promise a particular replacement time or a seat on another airline.

Start with the company that issued the ticket. For a direct Lion Air Group booking, use the airline's official booking or customer-service channel. For a travel-agent or online-agency ticket, contact that seller. For a ticket issued by another airline, contact the issuing airline before changing anything independently.

Lion Air's online refund form says it is for direct bookings and that agency or other-airline tickets should go back to the seller. It also warns that a refund request applies to all unused coupons on the ticket. Ask what will happen to a return or onward sector before submitting the form.

Do not process the request as an ordinary voluntary cancellation without first identifying the option attached to this operational disruption. The airline's normal fare penalties are not a safe substitute for the choices in the current notice.

Protect a connection or separate booking

If every sector is on one ticket, ask the issuer to rebuild the complete journey to the final destination. Confirm baggage handling and the status of every remaining flight before accepting the change.

If the next flight is on a separate ticket, contact that airline before its no-show deadline. A haze cancellation on Lion Air or Wings Air does not automatically protect an unrelated booking. Save written replies and receipts, but do not assume a hotel, new flight or other expense will be reimbursed unless the responsible company or insurer confirms it.

Lion Air's published conditions say domestic check-in normally starts two hours before departure and closes 30 minutes before departure. A delay does not automatically move the check-in cutoff. Unless the airline gives different instructions for the booking, arrive against the latest confirmed departure and keep enough time for the airport process.

Keep the latest evidence offline

Save the original ticket, current itinerary, airline message, case number, written refund or rescheduling offer, remaining sectors, separate-booking terms and essential contacts. Lion Air publishes an official customer contact page. Use the details there or inside the booking rather than a number copied from a comment or unofficial account. Never share a one-time password or make a payment to someone who contacts you unexpectedly.

Mobile data for flight updates in Papua

A live Indonesia OpenSim eSIM can provide mobile data on a compatible, unlocked phone after it connects to a supported ground network. It can help with booking updates, messages, maps and internet calls while plans are changing.

The public catalog was checked on October 13 and returned 32 Indonesia packages. Data allowance, validity, network speed, hotspot support and top-up eligibility vary by package. Read the selected plan before paying. An eSIM cannot guarantee coverage at every point in Papua, does not work in flight and cannot replace airline assistance.

Ten questions about the Sentani haze disruption

Is Sentani Airport closed?

Lion Air's 20:00 WIT notice does not say the airport is fully closed. It lists specific cancellations and prolonged delays caused by reduced visibility. Check the exact flight rather than treating every Sentani service as cancelled.

Which Lion Air and Wings Air flights were cancelled?

The notice explicitly marks IW1635 and JT788 as cancelled. Their linked return services, IW1632 and JT789, were also affected. JT984 had a prolonged delay and JT985 was subject to a schedule adjustment.

Are flights to Wamena, Manokwari and Timika operating tomorrow?

The October 13 notice does not confirm the next day's operation. Search the booking for the exact date and watch for a newer airline update because visibility and aircraft positioning can change the answer.

Can I get a refund?

Lion Air says affected passengers can choose a refund or rescheduling to another available flight, subject to applicable terms. Ask the ticket issuer to identify the disruption option before submitting a request.

Can I move to another flight instead?

Rescheduling is one option named by Lion Air, but it depends on availability. Confirm the new flight, date, route and all remaining sectors before accepting it.

What if I booked through an online travel agency?

Contact the agency that issued the ticket. Lion Air's direct refund form tells agency customers to seek assistance from the seller.

Will a refund cancel my return flight too?

It can affect other unused coupons. Lion Air's form says a refund request covers all unused coupons on the ticket, so ask for a written breakdown before confirming it.

Will Lion Air protect my separate connection?

Do not assume it will. Contact the next airline before its no-show deadline and ask whether it will change the separate booking. Keep both airlines' answers in writing.

Should I still arrive at the original check-in time?

Follow the newest instruction in the booking. Lion Air's general domestic rule says check-in opens two hours before departure and closes 30 minutes before it. A delay alone does not prove the cutoff moved.

How will I know when haze conditions improve?

Watch the reservation, airline notices and airport information for the exact flight. A news article cannot confirm an individual departure, and an improvement for one route does not guarantee the next aircraft will be in position.

Decision checklist for an affected Sentani trip

• Match the flight number, route and date to the current booking.
• Save the original and updated itineraries.
• Ask the issuer about refund and rescheduling choices.
• Check every return and onward sector before accepting a change.
• Contact a separate-ticket airline before its no-show deadline.
• Keep check-in cutoffs in mind even after a delay.
• Use only official contact details.
• Tell pickup drivers and hotels about the latest arrival time.
• Save essential documents and contacts offline.
• Recheck for a newer dated notice before traveling.

How this alert is verified

Lion Air's October 13 update supplies the affected flights, times, operational status and its refund or rescheduling statement. Its October 12 notice shows that the affected list can change from day to day. Current reporting from ANTARA, based on Sentani Airport's public-relations account, independently confirms that haze from forest and land fires disrupted multiple airlines and Papua routes.

Official Lion Air booking, refund, contact and conditions pages support the passenger steps. Search-visible traveler discussions were used to identify questions about changing schedules, agency tickets, refunds, connections and airport timing. They were not used as proof of the current flight status or a passenger entitlement.

We will update this alert if Lion Air publishes a later Sentani operating list, confirms normal service or changes the assistance available to affected passengers.

*Airline, airport-reporting, traveler-question and OpenSim catalog sources were reviewed on October 13, 2026.*